Speaking Of Life 1017 | My Ways Higher than Yours
Greg Williams
My three-year old granddaughter, Emory Grace is a curious and quick learner, and like all toddlers, she struggles to understand. She is fascinated by the world around her and it’s fun to watch her learn and grow. Sometimes when I’m talking to her I get a look as if she is saying, “Papa G, I see your mouth moving, and I hear words, but I have no idea what you are trying to say.” At that point I get down, open my arms and say, “Come to me….” And she runs to get her love.
It reminds me of when her dad was younger and simply couldn’t understand what I was trying to explain. There were times he didn’t understand because he didn’t have all the information he needed, but there were other times it was simply because he didn’t have the experience, or the maturity to understand. As a parent, there were times I had to say, “You’ll have to trust me on this” or “You will understand later.”
And when I said those words, I always remembered what God said through Isaiah.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
This passage is to remind us that God has things under control. We don’t have to understand all the intricate details, but we can trust that he is for us. The previous verses tell us to come to him when we are thirsty, and he will give us drink. To listen to him, and he offers life-giving words. To seek the One who is lavish with forgiveness. A God so high above our thoughts and imaginations, and yet he honors us – How humbling and remarkable?
There are many things about God we simply can’t fully comprehend – grace, mercy, total forgiveness, and unconditional love. We can’t understand because we deal with all our human emotions and our conditional rules we subconsciously attach.
His love is far more than any love I can give, it is unconditional. That means it is not dependent upon me in any way. God is love. Not that God has love – he is love personified.
His mercy and his forgiveness are total – no holds barred – sins removed as far as the east is from the west – remembered no more. How does he do that? I don’t know; his ways are far above my ways, and I praise him for that.
He simply tells us to come to him.
My Granddaughter may not understand all the words coming out of my mouth, but she does understand when I open my arms. She knows that Papa G adores her even though I can’t explain my love, for my ways and my thoughts are far above hers at this point in her life.
The same is true for God. His love for us is expressed in ways far beyond our ability to fully comprehend – his love has a name, Jesus. We can’t understand all it means that Jesus became flesh. We can’t understand all the ramifications of his life, death, resurrection and ascension. But like my granddaughter, we know what love means when Jesus opens his arms and says, “Come…”
I’m Greg Williams, Speaking of Life.