God works in mysterious ways
English
Etymology
Perhaps from a poem by William Cowper (who lived 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.”
Proverb
- Expressing confidence that a conundrum has a solution despite it not being apparent.
- 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...
Usage notes
- As a figure of speech, it does not necessarily denote the religious views of the speaker. Moreover, it is not seldom used sarcastically.
Synonyms
- (a situation may be beneficial later): every cloud has a silver lining, blessing in disguise
Translations
a situation may be beneficial later