Faith in God’s Ways

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the LORD’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”
Isaiah 55:8-13

How God does things is often not how we would do things. Isaiah reminds us that his ways are higher, his thoughts are utterly different than our own. In short, he is God, and we are not.

Isaiah ends this passage with joy. As we trust in God and his ways, joy returns. We don’t have to figure everything out. We don’t have to rely on our own frail understanding. Our sovereign, powerful God has a good plan, and that plan involves his presence going before us.

Sometimes we cannot see how a painful situation will ever work out. Where we see thorn bushes, God sees junipers. Where we see briers, God sees the myrtle. He makes beauty from ashes, life from death, hope from hopelessness. Because his ways are higher, and we can’t understand everything that is happening, we can trust that he will do good things in and through us.

It’s one thing to have faith in our own ways, but it is quite another to truly have faith in the ways of God. He is the master of miracles. May today be a day that you have complete faith in God’s ways.

Prayer

Lord, my ways are understandable and explainable, but your ways? They are higher than my highest thought. Help me to have faith in your ways, relying on you and what you can do. I choose to follow you, come what may. Amen.

Application

What struggle in your life right now would you like to see God turn around? Ask him to intervene.

Drawn from the NIV Radiant Virtues Bible.