Hope & Quill Co.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith 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.”

Isaiah 55:8-9

Have you ever been flying and noticed how small everything looks down below? I recently flew out of New York City and upon ascension, I couldn’t believe how small the skyscrapers and Lady Liberty seemed. I could see the entire city from above—all the connecting streets, the streams that flowed in and out of the city. However, down on the street level, one can barely see to the end of the block, depending on traffic. The distance from Time Square to Ellis Island is a great deal longer on foot then by plane. My point? Our reality is based in our perspective.

Our lives are much the same. We are down on the street view, bumping and pushing our way through the crowd, while God sees everything from a much higher view.

Although we can’t see the end of our path, nor the dangers or the blessings that wait ahead, we can fully trust the One who sees all of the way and will direct our paths (Proverb 3:6).

So often in life, we find ourselves asking why, when, or how. We pray for answers, but it seems the windows of heaven are closed to us, preventing our prayers from ascending to the Throne. Our hearts weep heavy tears, praying for the estranged family member, the child whose health is in decline, the financial situation that seems to have no solution, and so on. Satan whispers that God has forgotten you, that He doesn’t care. All hope seems lost.

BUT

We have His promise that He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5)!

Regardless of our circumstance, God sees the peripheral in the situation. When we can’t fathom why our prayers seemingly go unanswered, He is there and, according to His Word, He is walking by our side every step of the way.

How sweet it is to rest in Him, knowing that regardless of what lies ahead, He will be there with us and that He has already been there. He sees every pothole, every bump and scrape to come. But He also sees each blessing, every good thing that He wants to do for us. If we aren’t careful, we get in His way by turning bitter when He does not answer our prayers the way we had hoped.

God does not always answer our prayers the way we want Him to, but He always answers. Sometimes we find ourselves uttering, “Why Lord? This isn’t fair.” But we must remember that His ways are indeed higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. He has already seen our tomorrow. He knows if the desired answer to our prayer will hinder future blessings. We can take comfort in knowing that His way is perfect. His perspective is perfect.

In remembering that my thoughts and my ways can never measure up to His, I find sweet relief in not needing to always have the answer. Sometimes it’s none of my business to know what God is up to. He works in ways we may never see. While we are praying for one thing, He may be working to line the situation up perfectly. There are many moving parts to our lives; often we get tunnel vision with our prayers, forgetting that God sees the eternal peripheral.

Regardless of our situation, we can rest in the hope that He is there with outstretched arms. All we need do is come.