“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
(Isaiah 55:9)
Astronomers have means of observing and measuring galaxies and planets. They can determine the parameters of our solar system. And still the study of astronomy and all the facts and figures concerning the heavens above us are far and away more phenomenal than we can ever grasp.
But there also exists a “third heaven” that astronomers cannot study or ascertain. This “heaven of heavens” (Deut. 10:14) is referred to as Paradise (Luke 23:43) and is well above and beyond all the galaxies and planets and solar systems and stars that we can observe. It is the dwelling place of God, the resurrected Christ, and angels and saints who have passed and is only knowable to the extent that God has shared in His Word.
God uses this metaphor—“as the heavens are higher than the earth”—to describe the degree to which His ways, His thoughts, His plans, strategies, methods, and means are beyond our own. We should not be surprised, then, when circumstances trend in ways we don’t understand, for God manages everything from an infinitely higher perspective than we can ever begin to comprehend.
And what He has already done attests to that reality. God who is utterly good and gracious showers His mercy freely to us who deserve His wrath. God who knows and sees all shares His truth with men who are blinded by sin that they may repent and believe in order to gain a true sight of God. God in His love provided an unsearchable remedy for our otherwise hopeless condition in Christ the Savior for all those who believe.
Moreover, God created man from the dust of the ground. Only an omniscient, omnipotent God could accomplish such a feat, for that dust did not know how it might be made man. Likewise, sinful man cannot conceive how he might be restored to his Creator after such a dreadful fall in Adam’s original sin. Yet this mystery of restoration was in the mind of God eternally, long before He breathed life into that dust. The recovery of our lost souls from eternal death was accomplished in the mind and plan of the most high God long before Adam ever breathed his first breath.
Francis Rous said, “Man fell, standing by himself; but the Godhead now stably supports him, and leads him by God to God.”[1]
God assures us that He knows and controls everything in His world at all times and at every level of activity, with both His own children as well as pagan political powers that appear to be in charge (Luke 12:7, Matt. 10:29, Ps. 33:15–17, Prov. 21:1). And everything He does is to a singular end—to glorify Himself and His Son. He will accomplish all His purposes by the means He chooses to the outcome He desires. And He will do so because He is God.
Would you really want a god who was incapable or inadequate to perform all that he desired? Could you respect or adore a god who operated out of the same level of limited knowledge and world view that you possess? Of course not! A god whose thoughts and ways could be rivaled by mere man would be no god at all.
But the God of the Bible is infinitely and eternally bigger and greater and beyond anything we can ever think or do, for He is Jehovah God, King of kings and Lord of lords. He operates from a vantage point that we have no understanding of. He possesses power sufficient to execute His plan perfectly, without threat from any force. For He is God.
This truth should be a source of comfort, blessing, encouragement, peace, and hope for those who love Him. The fact that we can’t comprehend what He is doing should move us to exalt and adore Him, for He is God. He is not us.
So trust wholly in the Lord. Submit to Him as the God of your heart, your mind, and your life without trying to understand or question His ways or means. Remember that He is God and you are not. Let that truth flood your heart with peace and bolster your faith in your God whose ways and thoughts are not your own.
Contemplation:
- Exalted Glory. O Lord, Your glory is undeniable. It is evident everywhere in the universe You created, though I apprehend so little of it. Your glory gives light to darkness, power to weakness, and salvation to sinners. Thank You for saving a wretch like me!
- Wisdom Above All. Lord, in Your wisdom alone You sent Christ to save. Help me not diminish the glory of Your wisdom, but let it be the joy of my heart, fixed and immoveable, knowing You have freed me from corruption and misery.
- The Way to You. Lord, help me look to You for everything I need. Lead me by Your Spirit to You, for in Your Son, the God-man Jesus Christ, is the remedy for all my ills. He is my Refuge from misery, my Fountain of goodness, the Way to happiness itself.
- Faith in the Unseen. Lord, I do not understand Your ways, but I believe You. I cannot see the end from the beginning, but I know that You can. Your purposes are established in the heavens, and all You do is righteous and good. Strengthen my faith to rest not on what I see, but on who You are.
Prayer
Lord God Almighty, Your ways are beyond searching out, and Your thoughts are higher than mine. You are perfect in knowledge, flawless in wisdom, and infinite in majesty. I bow before You not with full understanding, but with full trust. For Your greatness is unsearchable, and Your goodness is without end. I adore You because You are not like me. You are holy. You are high above all the earth, exalted far above all gods.
You have displayed Your sovereignty not only in the grandeur of creation, but in the quiet work of redemption. Though I cannot trace every step of Your providence, I see the glory of Your purpose in Christ. In Him You have made the unknowable known and the unreachable near. Through Him You have given light to those who dwell in darkness, and through His blood You have drawn sinners into Your eternal fellowship. I worship You, for Your thoughts conceived my salvation and Your ways accomplished it.
You rule the nations. You order the stars. You appoint every breath I take. You see the end from the beginning and hold all things in Your hand. You reign over all, and no plan of Yours can be thwarted. Your counsel shall stand, and You will do all Your pleasure. I adore You for being the God who rules, who never errs, who always acts according to perfect righteousness and matchless mercy.
Though Your judgments are a great deep, and though clouds and darkness are round about Your throne, still righteousness and justice are the foundation of all Your works. I praise You that I do not need to comprehend Your ways in order to rest in them. You have revealed Yourself in the face of Jesus Christ, and that is enough. I know You through Him and I love You because You first loved me.
Let my worship rise as incense before You, holy and infinite God. Teach me to trust when I do not understand, to rest when I cannot see, and to adore You not only for what I receive, but for who You are. You are God and there is none like You.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Isaiah 55:9:
Ps. 103:11; Rom. 11:33; Ps. 36:5, 77:19, 89:2; Jer. 29:11.
[1] Francis Rous, The Art of Happiness, (Crossville, TN: Puritan Publications, 2016) eBook, section 1:2:3.
