Love That Never Fails

18. God's Ways Are Higher

Have you noticed that when you ask God for help with a particular situation in your life, He often takes you in a totally different direction than you would have planned yourself? Often we are impatient and just want to get to where we are going or to that next stage in our life story.  We tend to want to travel on the easiest path in life, perhaps the same as everyone else around us, but thankfully God knows what is best for us just as He had the best plan for His people after they left Egypt:

"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle."
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭13:17-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God knows us so well and He does not make mistakes when it comes to leading us. Reading through this chapter in Exodus, I was reminded of the words of the prophet Isaiah:

""As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭55:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Isn't it comforting to know that there is One who knows far more than we do? We can think we have everything figured out but God sees the big picture and lovingly guides us according to His great wisdom. He thinks of everything, just like He dealt with all the little details for the movement of so many people out of Egypt:

"By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people."
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭13:21-22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We may not have a pillar of cloud or fire to guide us through life but we do have God's Word.

"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭119:105‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can also spend time with God in prayer, knowing that His Holy Spirit will guide us. When we allow Him to be our Shepherd, we have everything we could ever need because His ways are higher:

"The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23:1-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let's pray:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for being my Shepherd, my guide and the One who refreshes me and knows what is best in every situation. I am so amazed at the way You have brought me to this place in my life! Thank You for lovingly guiding me through Your Word and the promptings of Your Spirit within me. Thank You that Your ways are always higher than my ways!

Sometimes I do not understand when things take an unexpected change of direction in my life but I trust that You know what is best for me. Give me patience and increase my faith as I wait to see Your perfect plan for my life unveiled.

Amen.