Mysterious Ways
By: Tamar Pedersen

Sitting on a park bench. Reading German scriptures.
A woman sits beside me, and starts shaking her head.
She saw what I was reading, but said she stopped believing
She'd given up hope, and grew bitter instead.

God moves in mysterious ways.
God moves in mysterious ways.

She said, if there's a God in heaven, then why can't he stop war?
She'd lost her son and husband, forty years before.
She'd given up hope when they built the Berlin wall.
A prisoner in her country, until she watched it fall.

God moves in mysterious ways.
God moves in mysterious ways.

I listen to her story with curiosity.
Could there be a chance, she's related to me.
I tell her how my father had fled from Germany.
All he carried was this Bible, when he lost his family.

God moves in mysterious ways.
God moves in mysterious ways.

I open up my Bible to the family tree.
Her name is on the pages. She stares in disbelief.
She looks at me, her grandson, through the tears in her eyes.
It doesn't take us long before we realize, that.

Chorus:
God moves in mysterious ways.
First, you wonder where he is, and then he hits you with his grace.
You may not see him coming, but don't give up the race, cause
God moves in mysterious ways.
God moves in mysterious ways.

So, if you've given up hope, just remember this phrase,
God moves in mysterious ways.
When the world needed saving, he sent a little baby.
God moves in mysterious ways.

Chorus:
God moves in mysterious ways.
First, you wonder where he is, and then he hits you with his grace.
You may not see him coming, but don't give up the race, cause
God moves in mysterious ways.
God moves in mysterious ways.

Mysterious Ways

One night while I was dreaming the idea for this song came to me. That night my subconscious mind was able to string together bits and pieces of experiences I had had throughout my life, and blended them into a cohesive story. That alone is a demonstration of how God moves in mysterious ways.

I had served as a missionary in Austria and Germany, where I learned to speak German. I still read my German scriptures at lunch, to help me stay sharp with the language. I met many old people who were still angry at Americans because of the destruction caused during the Second World War. While I was a missionary, I had the opportunity to enter East Berlin at checkpoint Charlie. I was amazed by the devastation that was still visible from the war. I can't tell you how many times I heard people say that they knew there was no God, because of what they had experienced during the war.

Eventhough we may not always understand what God is up to, I believe he has a plan, and that ultimately his purposes will be revealed. When that finally happens, I think he will hit many of us right between the eyes. Once that happens, I'd like a chance to talk to those old Germans once again. I think God will do a better job of convincing them that he exists than I was ever able to. I just want to see the light in their faces once it happens.