Trust God's Ways

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. ---Isaiah 55:8,9

Yesterday, we touched on this verse regarding God’s ideas and ways regarding sickness. But let’s paint a broader stroked picture of Isaiah 55:8 and 9. To get the full importance of this scripture, we need to look at the context in which this was written. God was speaking to Israel and Israel in scripture also refers to the Church today.

You can read verses 1 through 7 and see that God wants the best for His people. He is saying, why do you waste time or money on anything that is not beneficial to the Kingdom of God? He is calling His people to call upon Him, forsake the wicked and return to the Lord. It also says that God will abundantly pardon. The word “abundantly” means to “increase, heap, multiply, nourish, be thorough. And the word “pardon” means to “forgive or spare.”

In today’s world, we are “dumbed-down,” if you will excuse the phrase, in our understanding of God’s love and mercy toward us. He wants so much for us to do a reality check and see how little we actually trust God for our provision, our healing, our protection and advancement in life (prosperity.) The church, as well as the world, keeps a lid on our thinking.

BUT GOD has higher thoughts for you. He wants you to be healthy – totally healthy. He wants you to have money. He wants you to be happy and in peace. Read Isaiah 55:1-3 and you will see the passion that God has for His people to be successful and prosper. He has great thoughts for you. The word "thoughts" in the original Hebrew means “intentions, curious work, plans, and purpose." Then it goes deeper to the root word which is “to weave or fabricate; to plot or contrive, to think, regard, value, compute, conceive, invent, esteem, forecast and imagine. So, you see, God is thinking about and weaving your future and He wants you to rise up in the image you have of yourself because you have not arrived, for He has great plans for you! (Jeremiah 29:11)

God also says His ways are not our ways. He does things differently than we would. That, I believe, is why we feel that we have to make our own way and do things the way we THINK they ought to be done using the people we think will get us there. Well, God’s ways aren’t our ways. He knows so much better the plans He has for you, so don’t you think that you should just let Him open the doors for you? Don’t you think He ought to plan your day for you? How about letting God put people in your life that will help you get where you need to be. Sometimes those people are the sand polishing the rough rock. That means that they won’t always be easy to be around, but God is grooming you for the future He has planned for you. Take a reality check today to see if you trust the One who knows what is best for you.

Confession: I realize that God has great plans for me and that I have been trying to make my own plans, doing it my own way. Today, I will purposely give my life to my Lord and Savior. I give Him permission to direct my life as He wills so I can accomplish what He has destined for my life, which is better than I can imagine!