Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
One of our biggest problems is that we take our attitude, the things that we say, and we project it on God. If I'm impatient, God must be that way. If I fly off the handle, God must be that way. But God is not like you or me. His wisdom towers over ours.
Our Verse of the Day is an incredible passage that shows us this. It's Isaiah chapter 55, verse 8. It says, "'My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,' says the LORD. 'And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.'" I can imagine a lot, but God's thoughts and imagination are far above that.
The Context Points to Jesus
The context is familiar—verse Isaiah chapter 9, verse 6: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." It points to Jesus in the future. Then you fast forward and God invites His people to repent and receive mercy. In this particular passage, this verse is an invitation of God's plans and how His methods transcend all human reasoning. This is hard to understand and grasp, I know, but let's quickly look at two ways God's wisdom towers over yours and my wisdom and human thinking.
God's Thoughts Transcend Human Logic
Number one, God's thoughts transcend human logic. "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts." Now, I know this is intellectually difficult. I'm not saying put your brain on the neutral. I'm not saying any of that faith. Biblical faith is a reasoned response to Scripture. Here Isaiah says, "My thoughts," God says, "are nothing like yours." Why? Because His thoughts transcend human logic.
I had a professor once say this when I was learning theology and there were points of theology I didn't get. The professor said, "God's Word is not against reason. It's above reason." That helps me. There's a God who knows what's going on.
God's Ways Exceed Human Imagination
Number two, the second way that God's wisdom towers over ours is very simply: God's ways exceed human imagination. It kind of puts God in our place. I was just again in a plane recently over the weekend, and I had a window seat, and I love to look out the window and just see the sky, look at the ground, the houses and just the vastness of the earth that we live on. Not to mention the heavens and all the planets and everything. This God is incredibly vast. When you talk to the people who just came back from the Artemis spaceship, they were also blown away at what they saw.
God's ways exceed human imagination. I did a little bit of research. The distance to the closest star—the closest star to our solar system is called Proxima Centauri. It's about 4.24 light years away, which is roughly 40,000,000,000,000 km, which is 25 trillion miles away. God made all of it. That's a big God.
What Do We Do with This Passage?
What do we do with this passage? How do we apply it? Number one, humble yourself under this great God. First Peter chapter 5 says to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. You and I have the need daily to humble ourselves before this great God, because we often like to put our place in God's place when it's not ours to be had. Let God in His knowledge crush our pride.
I love it. Author Paul David Tripp says the best theology will not remove mystery from your life. The best theology will not remove mystery from your life. Rest is found in trusting the One who rules all and knows no mystery. It's never a mystery for God, but for you and I, it is sometimes because we're human. We're the creation, and He's the Creator.
Know This Great God
Number two, know this great God. His knowledge should stretch and build your view of God. Read the Bible, read the Psalms. Read Psalm chapter 139. Stretch your faith. Make His thoughts your thoughts.
Another verse says, "How great are Your works, O Lord? Your thoughts are very deep."
Worship Him
Third, worship Him. Somebody once said, "God is not judged by any human standard." When I don't understand things in the Bible, sometimes I put God on trial. Sometimes it's like, you know, God's really not judged by my standard. He is God and I'm not.
Worship Him. What did Paul do when he had great thoughts about God? The best Christian ever, probably. He didn't just accuse God or complain. He said this in Romans chapter 11, verse 33: "Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!"
Let the points of your life that you don't fully understand about God, let that cause you and I to worship this great God who sent Jesus Christ.
