“‘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.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Why do we try to understand what God is thinking? This memory verse clearly sets the record straight and reminds us that God’s thoughts are beyond our comprehension. Yet, we still want to put words in God’s mouth or assume he thinks a certain way in a given situation. Perhaps we should just sit back and marvel at God’s ways instead.
Context: The prophet Isaiah is speaking here in Chapter 55 about salvation. Interesting to read such things in the Old Testament when we usually associated salvation with what Jesus did on the cross. This chapter is full of great wisdom giving us clues of how to act and respond to God. There are probably a dozen or more memory verses we could pluck from this chapter. You can take a look here.
For today, let’s focus on how amazing our God is. We can’t begin to fathom all that he handles on a daily basis, even moment by moment. Take time to just imagine all the messages that bombard heaven every second. Couple that with all the lingering world events and natural disasters, and God’s plate is overflowing.
We often try to attribute human characteristics to God. Instead, we should let Scripture paint our picture of who God is, albeit from the limited view of our human frailty. What are some examples of who God is portrayed in his Word? Words like mighty, merciful, wise, compassionate, loving, steadfast, holy, righteous, faithful come to mind.
There is another side of God, too, that we have a harder time accepting. It’s more difficult to imagine God as an angry disciplinarian full of wrath. But God has those tendencies as well, and we should keep that in mind, too.
These verses help us focus on the complexities of God, realizing his power and supremacy. Fear of the Lord is a real thing we should not ignore. When we tap into this wisdom, we can’t help but sit in awe of our wonderful, hard to understand God.
Let’s pray. Lord, you are wonderful beyond description. I stand in awe of you. I am also thankful that you fill me with more and more understanding as I am faithful to you. Help me to never take you for granted or minimize your excellence. Forgive me when I put limits on you or expect you to act in ways outside your perfect will. Open my eyes to see you and know you more. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
