"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts. I just don't think the way you think, the way you work is not the way I work. My ways are far beyond what you can imagine...." Isaiah 55:8
I have often heard this verse applied to different situations we confront in life, especially when a plan or a "dream" doesn't work out the way we would hope.
I often think of John the Baptizer when I hear this verse quoted or come across it when studying.
In Matthew 11, John was already in prison, that being after he had baptised Jesus and saw Him face to face, hearing those words from God the Father, "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him."
Yet, while in prison John sent some of his own disciples to Jesus to ask this question: "Are you the one that has come, the Messiah, or should we look for another?" Perhaps another way of stating it would be "Were we wrong, you don't fit the pattern in mind we had for a Messiah."
In the opening verses of Isaiah 55, the point it would seem to me in verse 1-7 is to convey how much God loves us and desires us to draw close to Him. Taking the time to know Him, His Word, and His love He has for us is essential to our understanding of life itself. Then verse 8 appears. I take verse 8 this way, I think God differentiates His ways and our ways because He wants to give us so much more in life than we can even think of. The key is to spend time with Him, getting to know and understand His ways will work its way into our hearts and minds. The distance between our thoughts and His thoughts lessen as we simply take time to know Him, giving Him some precedence in our daily lives.
I always noticed John did not send a question with his disciples "Hey, how could I end up in prison? Is this the treatment I get, are these the plans God has for me?
John's focus was to know Him, and to know Him more. Sure, John may needed some assurance He was the One to seek, and John may have had some questions in regards to his own life...like,"OK, now what am I supposed to do?" But the thrust of His heart was, "Jesus, I just need to hear it from You one more time....tell us who You are!"
And you got to love how Jesus responded. " You tell John this. In fact tell him what you guys have seen and heard. The blind see! The lame walk! The lepers are cured! The deaf hear! The dead are raised to life! The Good News is now being given to the poor! No John, it has not been in vain what You have accomplished. Blessed are they that do not turn away from me...like you John!"
There is a great void between our ways and God's ways. But I don't think it has anything to do with God not granting our desires. I think it has everything to with the void....the void of not getting to know Him.
I have often heard this verse applied to different situations we confront in life, especially when a plan or a "dream" doesn't work out the way we would hope.
I often think of John the Baptizer when I hear this verse quoted or come across it when studying.
In Matthew 11, John was already in prison, that being after he had baptised Jesus and saw Him face to face, hearing those words from God the Father, "This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him."
Yet, while in prison John sent some of his own disciples to Jesus to ask this question: "Are you the one that has come, the Messiah, or should we look for another?" Perhaps another way of stating it would be "Were we wrong, you don't fit the pattern in mind we had for a Messiah."
In the opening verses of Isaiah 55, the point it would seem to me in verse 1-7 is to convey how much God loves us and desires us to draw close to Him. Taking the time to know Him, His Word, and His love He has for us is essential to our understanding of life itself. Then verse 8 appears. I take verse 8 this way, I think God differentiates His ways and our ways because He wants to give us so much more in life than we can even think of. The key is to spend time with Him, getting to know and understand His ways will work its way into our hearts and minds. The distance between our thoughts and His thoughts lessen as we simply take time to know Him, giving Him some precedence in our daily lives.
I always noticed John did not send a question with his disciples "Hey, how could I end up in prison? Is this the treatment I get, are these the plans God has for me?
John's focus was to know Him, and to know Him more. Sure, John may needed some assurance He was the One to seek, and John may have had some questions in regards to his own life...like,"OK, now what am I supposed to do?" But the thrust of His heart was, "Jesus, I just need to hear it from You one more time....tell us who You are!"
And you got to love how Jesus responded. " You tell John this. In fact tell him what you guys have seen and heard. The blind see! The lame walk! The lepers are cured! The deaf hear! The dead are raised to life! The Good News is now being given to the poor! No John, it has not been in vain what You have accomplished. Blessed are they that do not turn away from me...like you John!"
There is a great void between our ways and God's ways. But I don't think it has anything to do with God not granting our desires. I think it has everything to with the void....the void of not getting to know Him.
