God does not think the way you think, and the way you work isn’t the way He works! (Isaiah 55:8 The Message version)
I hope the verse above doesn’t catch any of us by surprise, but I bet we have all, at one time or another, felt confident that we could do a better job than God. Certainly there are things He has allowed that we would have never let happen, or things He didn’t do that we would have hardily endorsed.
This kind of thinking is dangerous because it undermines trust in God. And over the years when I have been tempted to question Him, I always read the verses that follow the one above:
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don’t go back until they’ve watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry, so will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.” (Verses 9-11)
This passage teaches us that every Word from God is prosperous and filled with life to heal, save, protect, and provide for us, and that they will work hard to complete their God-given assignment. And when they return it will never be empty-handed. Along the way they will have inspired, encouraged, handed out generous amounts of peace, covered wounds in love, filled lives with hope, and provided a safe haven for fearful, freaked out souls who have turned their hearts toward the Heavenly Father, which has always been and will always be the goal of the Word.
I am so thankful that God’s Word is there to help me blossom and nourish me, and that He, the Mighty Lord, is the One Who does the work. I shudder to think what would happen if I had the ability to do what I want to do whenever I want to do it. As we approach Easter Sunday and we become a little more contemplative than usual about Jesus, let us remember that there is no greater distance than between Heaven and earth. That’s how much higher and better are God’s ways of doing things than our own. And that’s how far He was willing to send His Son to bridge that gap between Him and us.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, As we pray we thank You that there is no distance between us. You are right here next to us, and we welcome Your Word into our lives knowing that It is doing something excellent to prosper our souls. You are so good, and we ask for forgiveness for the times we thought we knew better. Heaven forbid! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!
