photo credit: esiweb.org
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, New Living Translation)
I spend a lot of time thinking and pondering “what if.” I’m not talking about the “if only” of regret, but the “what if” of imagining, dreaming, and strategizing. That’s not a bad thing. In fact, I’m pretty sure God wired me with this innate sense of curiosity and adventure.
But I have to be careful that I start in the right place. I am created in the image of God. So are you. That is a good thing. In fact, God says it is a very good thing (see Genesis 1:31). However, if we are not intentional about keeping the right perspective, we will make the mistake of looking at ourselves to see what God is like.
Here’s how the logic goes: I am created in the image of God, therefore I am like God. I can’t see God, but I can see me. Therefore, if I want to know what God is like, I should look at myself. Doesn’t that look ridiculous when it is spelled out that way?
God’s ways are higher than ours and His thoughts are higher than ours, so the place to begin our ponderings is in prayer and in His recorded self-revelation (the Bible) seeking His thoughts and ways.
If we were to run all our “what ifs” through that matrix, we might have a lot fewer “if onlys.”
Question: What are some ways you have discovered to connect your thoughts and ways to His?
Leave a comment below. Our community would benefit from your perspective and experience.
