Devotion for the week of Feb 07, 2011

Isaiah 55:8 & 9

           ⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

           ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways,

            And My thoughts than your thoughts.

^As I read these verses in Isaiah, I am reminded of Acts 1:9 – 11 ⁹“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ^10And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them  in white apparel, ^11who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

You see, the apostles kept looking up to heaven for Jesus to return back to them; they did not understand.  To return was not the Lord’s plan at all.  It took two “men in white apparel” to tell them to stop looking up, and then we see that they all returned back to Jerusalem.

At times, when we pray, we feel God does not answer our prayer the way we ask Him to, so we feel He has let us down.  In reality, His thoughts and ways are not ours!

Recently, a brother and I went to this hospital and prayed over a baby who was diagnosed with a disease that is not curable.  As the family and the rest of us prayed and anointed the baby with oil, in my heart I felt God would heal this precious life.  But because His ways are not ours, He saw to take the baby to heaven and into His arms. I was saddened, but it did not shake my faith. In my heart, I wondered why He had not healed the child.

A few days after hearing the news, I was driving to work and the Lord spoke to me with His small quite voice and He said, “I did heal this child.” In His ways, He saw fit to give the baby life for an appointed time, so the family could bond with the child, to hold it, love it, and have memories to last the parents a lifetime.  I said, “Thank you Father, I did not see it your way, I know my thoughts are not yours, and your ways are higher than my ways!”

Just like the apostles, I stopped looking up, asking the Lord why, but thanking Him for the opportunity to experience His love and faithfulness even when we don’t fully understand!