GOD’S WAYS ARE NOT OURS

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, NOR ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,” says the Lord” – Isaiah 55:8

In order to walk effectively with the Lord, we must be established on the truth that GOD’S WAYS ARE NOT OURS: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, NOR ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS,” says the Lord” (Isa.55:8). Christians often quote this verse as a form of consolation when life takes an unexpected or surprising twist. We say something like “Well, God’s ways certainly are not our ways.” True in principle, but here is the context: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (v.7). Verse 8 then begins with “For.” Man’s way is not to extend mercy and pardon to people who wrong us. We tend to nurse grudges, harbour bitterness, and avoid offenders; but God’s Way is totally unlike ours. His is the Way of Mercy!

In effect, God invites us to seek Him out when we sin, and He’ll have Mercy and pardon us – freely, instantly, fully (vv.6-7). He knows that’s not the way we think or act (v.8). We put our offenders on hold before we reluctantly forgive them, but that’s not in alignment with His Ways. He assures that when we respond, we’ll be surprised at how quickly He will forgive us – His Word is His Bond (vv.10-11). And when we’re back with Him, we will “go out in joy and be led out in peace” (v.12). What a liberating revelation this is for humanity, that the Holy God thinks and acts in amazing mercy toward the sinful and unworthy!

A related perspective to this truth is that God’s Thoughts and Ways cannot be fully fathomed by our limited human intellect. As educated, intelligent and thoughtful beings, we like to think that we understand the world around us. While we realise there are whole fields of knowledge that lie outside our current grasp, we are somehow confident that given enough effort we could gain substantial understanding in them. It is tempting to apply that same thought to God. That is, to assume that while we don’t currently understand all that He is doing, if we work at it hard enough we should be able to. Far from the truth!

God is not like us in any substantial way. Yes, He made us in His image and according to His likeness (Gen.1:26-28). Yes, we’re His image bearers; but the image is never equated with the person. God is God – in His own class. We are like Him, but we are not Him! We cannot vouch to understand why He does ALL of what He does. No matter how intelligent we are, we are still finite, especially while on this side of eternity, in these vessels of clay: “For we know in part, and we prophesy in part…For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1Cor.13: 9, 12). If we could fully grasp the infinite in our finite frame, then we wouldn’t need God.

It is sometimes tempting to want to “play God” in our lives and even in the lives of others – our children, acquaintances, mentees, and friends. We occasionally want to correct what God is doing, or permitting; or to give Him advice, as if we knew better than He does. If we know that His thoughts are way higher than ours – like “the heavens are higher that the earth” and His Ways are extremely far above ours, we’ll simply trust Him to do what He knows is best even when it seems messed up to us. As we’re established in this truth, we’ll learn to wait on God and walk with Him!