ISAIAH 55:8-9 – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
THEME OF THE DAY. NOT ACCORDING TO OUR PLANS. Today’s scripture is one of those portions easy to give as advice to a struggling believer, but a hard truth to swallow when we are that struggling believer. Oh, how smooth this truth flows from our mouths when life is fairly calm, a little inconvenient, but manageable, job is going well, the home front mostly in line, and trials not overwhelming. And probably in those relatively “easy seasons” of life, we may not even think on this passage of scripture. But think on this we must because “easy seasons” of life are delusions. They really don’t exist. Should we think they do, this is one of the most powerful tactics of the devil. Christians are most vulnerable to falling into spiritual indifference, having lukewarm hearts, and becoming spiritually negligent in seeking the Lord when life is unfolding according to our plans, agendas, schedules, and desires. We are tempted to live on the strength of our profession of faith in Christ and His grace, but not really relying by faith on the strength of Christ’s grace. And God will not allow this season to remain.
The Lord will bring trials and testing into our lives. He will bring challenges into our lives. He will bring difficult circumstances into our lives. He will bring unchangeable situations into our lives. Each one of them will bring us face-to-face with today’s scripture. This is how God builds our faith in Him. This is His process of emptying ourselves of self-sufficiency, of preventing us from leaning on our own understanding, and becoming contented in a world that is not our home. And this process must be understood through the lens of today’s scripture – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord because how we respond when life is not going according to our plans reveals exactly how much we know of the Lord and how close we are to Him. The responses are one of two.
First, when life doesn’t go according to our plans, we may grumble, complain, and displease the Lord by our rebellion. The message to heaven is “I don’t like Your ways and plan working themselves out in my life. This hurts and I don’t want it.” Fight this sinful attitude off. It is one of the highest forms of blasphemy for it questions God’s character and purposes in our lives.”
The other response when life doesn’t go according to our plans is the only acceptable one and brings great honor to the Lord. It is glad submission despite our lack of understanding what God is doing. It is taking this truth – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6) – and not only memorizing it, but living it knowing God is good, God is wise, and His ways always best. Learn to do this consistently when life’s plans go not according to our desires. In doing so, we will know more intimacy with the Lord, and actually deepen our joy in Him by such glad submission.
PRAYER: “Father, forgive me when I complain instead of submit to Your working in my life.”
QUOTE: “How we respond to life when it doesn’t go according to our plans tell us our closeness to the Lord.”