Thoughts on Isaiah 55

Today’s reading: Isaiah 54-55; Revelation 19

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares 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.

This is one of those truths that is easy to understand and acknowledge, but difficult to actually live out of day in and day out.

Obviously, if we are talking about the God who spoke the universe into existence, His understanding is on a completely different level than our own. If this wasn’t obvious enough already, children exemplify this perfectly. My children are very often convinced that they know better than my wife and I. What they look at and think is good or right based on their few years of life experience, we know full well is a bad idea and will not turn out well based on our decades of life experience. If this is so obvious based on only a relatively small number of years of accumulated life experience, how much more so when we talk about us and the God who has existed eternally and whose wisdom upholds creation itself??

As easy as this difference is to acknowledge though, how often are we more convinced of our own wisdom and understanding than the Lord’s? How often do we trust our ways over His?

Isn’t this what sin is? When we know what the Lord says is sinful, but we don’t think it will really be that bad, and we want to do it, so we go our own way. Or when we know what the Lord says we should be doing, but we would prefer our own comfort or pleasure to stepping out into the discomfort God says is best. Or when the Lord tells us to trust Him, but we would rather rely on our own strength, ability, resources, etc. than go about things His way. Or when what our culture says is good and right is different from what God says is good and right, and we would rather just follow our culture so we don’t face anger or persecution from those around us. 

It is so easy to understand and acknowledge this reality, that clearly God’s thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than our own, but no matter how obvious this is, living it out is a moment-by-moment choice. This side of heaven, while our flesh is at enmity with God, and while Satan is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour, obedience to God over our own desires will never be the first or natural choice. The more we make the choice to operate out of this reality though, and follow God’s ways, trusting that they truly our higher than our own, the more we will see His wisdom vindicated in our own experience, and the easier it will become to make those moment-by-moment choices consistently for Him.