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.
Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
God’s wisdom often challenges our human understanding. We like to think we have life figured out, don’t we? We create plans, set goals, and chart our course. But then, God steps in with a plan that seems to defy all logic, leaving us bewildered and questioning. This is precisely the situation the Israelites faced as they stood at the edge of the Jordan River, ready to enter the Promised Land.
The Hebrew word for “thoughts” in Isaiah 55:8 is “machashavah,” which encompasses not just thoughts, but also plans and intentions. This gives us a deeper understanding of how vastly different God’s plans can be from our own. His intentions for us are rooted in an eternal perspective, while ours are often limited by our temporal vision.
Consider the scene at the Jordan River. The priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, were instructed to step into the flooding waters. From a human standpoint, this was foolishness. Why not wait for the waters to recede? Why risk the lives of the priests and the sacred Ark? But God’s ways are higher, and His plans more profound than we can imagine.
In our lives, we often encounter our own “Jordan River” moments. These are times when God’s instructions seem to contradict common sense or conventional wisdom. Perhaps it’s a call to forgive someone who has deeply hurt us, to give generously when our own resources seem limited, or to step out in faith into an unknown future.
C.S. Lewis, the renowned Christian author and apologist, once wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.” Lewis’s words remind us that faith in God’s higher ways doesn’t just change our perspective on specific situations; it transforms how we view everything in life.
When we choose to trust God’s logic over our own, we open ourselves to experiencing His power in extraordinary ways. The Israelites witnessed the Jordan River parting, a miracle that not only provided a way forward but also strengthened their faith and testified to God’s power for generations to come.
Embracing God’s higher ways requires humility and surrender. It means acknowledging that our understanding is limited and that God’s perspective is infinitely broader and deeper than our own. This surrender, while challenging, is the pathway to experiencing God’s best for our lives.
The beauty of following God’s seemingly illogical ways is that it often leads to outcomes far beyond what we could have imagined or achieved on our own. Just as the Israelites couldn’t have parted the Jordan through their own efforts, we too will find that surrendering to God’s ways opens doors that we never could have opened ourselves.
Godseekers, today you may be standing at your own Jordan, facing a situation where God’s instructions seem to defy logic. Will you trust in His higher ways? Remember, what seems impossible from our earthly perspective is often the very means by which God displays His glory and accomplishes His purposes in and through us.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we confess that sometimes Your ways confuse and challenge us. Give us the faith to trust You even when we don’t understand. Help us to surrender our limited perspective and embrace Your higher ways. May we be willing to step out in obedience, knowing that Your plans for us are good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- What situation in your life right now seems to defy human logic but might be God’s higher way?
- Can you recall a time when following God’s seemingly illogical direction led to an unexpectedly positive outcome?
Step of Faith
This week, identify one area where God may be calling you to act in a way that doesn’t make sense from a human perspective. Take a small step of obedience in that direction, trusting that God’s ways are higher. It might be reaching out to reconcile a relationship, being generous beyond your comfort zone, or saying yes to an opportunity that seems risky. As you step out in faith, watch for how God works in ways you couldn’t have anticipated.
