The Highway Of Thoughts And Ways

The Highway Of Thoughts And 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. (‭Isaiah‬ ‭55‬:‭8–9‬ NIV)

The same God who has given me a book of his thoughts and ways, also says that his thoughts and ways are not like mine; they are far higher. If I wanted to know the thoughts and ways of the moon, I could get out a telescope and study it from here. But if I wanted to be on the moon to better know it’s thoughts and ways, it would take me 6 months to travel there in our minivan driving 60 miles per hour. Seems at least do able anyhow. I mean we have traveled to Kentucky a couple of times as a family so that we can know the thoughts and ways of our friends that live there. Six months is an awful long time, yet possible anyhow.

What about the sun? Well, besides the fact that our van would burn up long before we reached our destination; it would take about 177 years to get there traveling 60 miles per hour. We just don’t have that kind of time. I must be content to learn the thoughts and ways of the sun from here because a site visit is an impossibility. The verse above tells me, not only that God’s thoughts and ways are farther away then 6 months or 177 years, but a distance unable to be tracked. How far away exactly is the heavens? It does not seem possible to know the answer from my computer desk this morning anyhow.

God is greater than I. His thoughts and ways are unable to be reached by me or my family. We can not take a home-school field trip there to answer the questions that rise up in the mind during times of suffering. Am I suggesting that God is unknowable? Not in the least, and please don’t misinterpret these thoughts as skepticism. I am merely working though the concept of faith. Faith is the assurance of things hoped, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Faith Clings. The things that are mentioned in the Hebrews verse are not seen. Which means that they are thoughts and ideas, not rocks and trees. Faith clings to promised thoughts and ideas. Those ideas may be ideas of objects like rocks and trees, or Jesus please! Jesus is a personal object. I have never seen him, but have read about him and experienced his presence and his promises fulfilled. He is the Son of God who miraculously was born upon this earth. He lived here, he taught here, he healed here, cried here, and then died here. He also did another amazing thing; he rose from the dead here. Rising from the dead here enabled him to travel back to the place where His Father sits. A place unable to be reached by me and my family with our minivan. Unable to be reached through an object. Yet able to be reached through faith. This faith is a gift from God the giver. The Holy Spirit is the vehicle that is able to travel the distance. He knows the thoughts and ways that are higher than mine. And he knows the much lower thoughts and ways of me and my family. He knows me better than I know myself. He meets me where I am. He meets me through the written word. He takes the words of the Father, spoken through the Son, and in-scripted through Himself, the Holy Spirit. He takes those words and enables me to believe them, hope in them, cling to them, and believe them. Faith Clings.

I do not know the reason why we are suffering through this trial. Yet I cling to the one who’s thoughts and ways are higher than my own. He tells me and my family that “he will not leave us as orphans;” that “he will come for us” (John 14:18).

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)