“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways, my ways.  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 

I once heard a pastor say, “Trying to understand God is like an ant trying to understand the internet.  We don’t have the brain capacity.”    

Well…even as a human, I don’t understand the internet.  

I guess that’s not saying much for my brain capacity…  

When it comes to understanding what God is doing in your life, maybe you, too, feel a little like an ant trying to figure out the internet. Nothing seems to make sense. He constantly confounds your expectations and doesn’t cooperate with your plan.  

If Isaiah were around today, I think he’d politely tell us ants to stop trying to squeeze God into a version of our own finite understanding. The Lord doesn’t think the way we think or act the way we act. He is transcendent, existing outside of space and time, surpassing human comprehension. His “greatness is unfathomable” (Psalm 145:3). As such, He works in ways that boggle our minds. 

It’s one thing to agree with this theologically. But personally, on the street level of everyday life, it can be incredibly frustrating to walk with a God who we can’t figure out and doesn’t work the way we think He should. 

If you’re experiencing the frustrating yet glorious reality of Isaiah’s words, I empathize with you.   

Allow me to share some practical implications of what the Lord is teaching me through this passage: 

• He is not a bigger version of me.  God isn’t “The Man Upstairs” or “The Big Guy In the Sky.”  While He became a man in the person of Jesus Christ, Isaiah’s point is that God is entirely different from us.  We should not expect Him to function like a human being. It sounds obvious, but we often forget this in our relationship with Him.

Remember, He is infinite. We are finite. He is holy. We are not holy.

He is all-knowing. We have limited knowledge. 

The list goes on and on. Yes, we are made in His image, but we are not Him. He is God. “There is no one like Him” (Jeremiah 10:6). Accepting this reality should cool the temperature of our frustration when He doesn’t operate according to our timetable…when life isn’t going the way we thought it would go…or when our prayers go unanswered.   

• Surrender my pride and embrace humility. God’s ways are higher than ours, meaning they’re not just different, they’re better. Superior. More accurately stated, His ways are best. The Lord is infinitely smarter and wiser than we will ever be.  So, instead of stubbornly resisting God’s ways, it’s time we surrender our pride and humbly acknowledge that His ways really are higher (and so much better) than ours. In doing so, we give up “leaning on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:4-6) and lean into His ways with greater ease and confidence. 

• Express my gratitude. I’m so grateful that God’s mercy, patience, grace, etc., are exceedingly superior to my concept of mercy, patience, and grace. In chapter 55, the Lord invites anyone who is willing to “come to the water” (Isaiah 55:1) and drink from the fountain of salvation. Through repentant faith in Jesus, God offers rebellious sinners a way home to Him.  

This sounds unbelievable, even too good to be true. 

But it’s not. Why?  Because His ways are higher than ours! Thank God!

• It all comes down to faith. Throughout history, countless men and women have followed God despite not understanding what He was up to. Noah, Abraham, Moses, and the disciples…to name a few. 

So, relax. You’re in good company. 

You’re not supposed to understand Him. You’re supposed to trust Him. 

I’m reminded of a line from the chorus of the worship song “You’ve Already Won” by Shane and Shane.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but I know what You’ve done.”

We will never fully understand what He’s doing on this side of heaven, but in Christ, we can understand what He’s done. The cross and the empty tomb are irrefutable proof that He really is worthy of our trust. 

So, keep walking by faith, my friend. If you wait until you understand all of God’s ways, you’ll never take a step.

Written by Jonathan Munson, Executive Director, RFTH

DIG DEEPER
Read “It’s All About Living Out Our Faith” by Bryant Wright