God works in mysterious ways
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God works in mysterious ways
Where it comes from
Possibly originating from a poem by William Cowper (floruit 1731–1800), whose first stanza reads: God moves in a mysterious way / His wonders to perform; / He plants His footsteps in the sea / And rides upon the storm.
Despite the late attestation, the general sentiment of the phrase does hold apparent wide-ranging and prehistoric theological currency.
proverb the Lord works in mysterious ways
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Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.
Similar: everything happens for a reason
- Commenting on a situation that has led to some unexpected outcome in a surprising or convoluted way.
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Commenting that a seemingly unfortunate or unfavourable situation or change may be beneficial later or in the long run.
Person A: It seems that I'm about to be fired from my job.
Person B: Well, God works in mysterious ways — maybe it'll be the kick you need to apply to university...
Similar: every cloud has a silver lining, everything happens for a reason
Translations
Every language
proverb an unfavorable situation may be beneficial later
| Español | los caminos del Señor son inescrutables |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 새옹지마 sae'ongjima |
| 日本語 | 神は独特で奇妙なやり方をする kami wa dokutoku de kimyō na yarikata o suru |
| 中文 | 神用奧秘行動前來 /神用奥秘行动前来 shényòng àomì xíngdòng qiánlái |
| हिन्दी | ईश्वर रहस्यमयी तरीकों से काम करता है īśvar rahasyamyī tarīkõ se kām kartā hai, ईश्वर की माया कहीं धूप कहीं छाया īśvar kī māyā kahī̃ dhūp kahī̃ chāyā |
| Português | Deus escreve certo por linhas tortas |
| Français | les voies de Dieu sont impénétrables, les voies du Seigneur sont impénétrables |
| Deutsch | die Wege des Herrn sind unergründlich, Gottes Wege sind unergründlich |
| Italiano | le vie del Signore sono imperscrutabili |
| Ελληνικά | άγνωστοι αι βουλαί του Κυρίου ágnostoi ai voulaí tou Kyríou |
| Русский | пути́ госпо́дни неисповеди́мы putí gospódni neispovedímy |
| العربية | لِلّٰهِ فِي خَلْقِهِ شُؤُونٌ lillāhi fī ḵalqihi šuʔūnun |
Talk about this word "God works in mysterious ways." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/god%20works%20in%20mysterious%20ways. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. God works in mysterious ways. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/god%20works%20in%20mysterious%20ways "God works in mysterious ways." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/god%20works%20in%20mysterious%20ways.Cite this
@misc{god_works_in_mysterious_ways_2026,
title = {God works in mysterious ways},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/god%20works%20in%20mysterious%20ways},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
