The Lord's thoughts and ways compared to man's

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.  “And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” 

Whatever opinion or thought that you have about what is going on around you, what you think will happen, what opinions you have, anything that involves your human thinking and reasoning and decision-making, be assured that God’s thoughts and ways about the same situations are opposite of yours.  Not only are they opposite but they are “higher” (greater, eternal, godly).  Here are some examples:

·  You believe and conclude that you are incapable to accomplish something that you’ve been asked to do or feel the call to do in the church.  God will see to it that you are very capable of accomplishing that task/ministry.

·  You look at your life and your circumstances and see nothing but doom and gloom.  God sees your life as special, wonderful, and purposeful.

·  You make a judgment about someone else that is very negative.  God’s judgment of that person is opposite of your negative view. 

·  You see no purpose or meaning in something you are doing or what someone else is doing or even who that someone else is.  God sees the opposite.

·  You conclude that a certain outcome is going to occur with that outcome being very negative.  God sees that outcome as very positive.

·  You hate something or someone; God loves that something or someone

·  You see life from a very narrow and temporal perspective.  God sees life from an eternal perspective.  Think about how you view a situation going on right now in life compared to a 5-6 year old child.  Magnify that difference infinitesimally and that’s the difference between you and God viewing the same situation. 

Ever since I was first made aware of these verses, I have caught myself many times thinking negative thoughts and remembering that these are not God’s thoughts.  I have caught myself acting or wanting to act in certain ways, then remembering that these are not God’s ways.  I have often wanted to take the “low road” and speak or act foolishly, then am reminded that God always takes the high road.  Often at the moment of time I’m wanting to do or say something negatively and then reminded of these verses, I’m wanting to ignore them.  However, I try not to and take the high road, but temporarily I’m unhappy about taking the high road.  However, always…….yes, always……later I am so happy and relieved that I took that high road and did not say or do what I really wanted to say or do.  His ways are always higher and you are divinely guided and protected to follow His ways, not your own.   

No, you and I are not God and we cannot always think and act like Him, but it is our mission as His children while on this earth to keep progressing toward being godly in all that we think and say and do.

In what situation(s) right now are you at a crossroads where you either can react with your words and your ways or choose to react via His thoughts and ways?  Keep these words from Isaiah close to your mind and heart as you will need them many times to help deal the right way with conflicts and problems that always come into your life.