Life can be downright perplexing. And troubling. And complicated. At times churning with confusion, pain and sadness. Examining a situation, we shake our heads crying out, “Lord, this makes no sense to me at all.” We wrestle with the thing, turning the complex matter upside-down, inside-out and every which way, but cannot put the pieces together to reach any logical understanding. We reason until our brains ache with the effort. We devise a number of options for a situation to “turn out good”. But none come to pass. We imagine one scenario after another in which God could have intervened. Could have turned a situation. Could have prevented this mess. 

His ways sometimes appear baffling to us. We can’t understand what He’s up to. Why do His plans often unfold like a mystery?

Isaiah 55:8-9 has the answer:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.
As the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

These words cancel the crippling, exhausting questions of “why” and open the door to faith in a God who is truly God. His way is trustworthy and therefore frees us from doubt. In Him lies certainty all He has promised will be accomplished. 

We find the phrase “as the heavens are higher than the earth” in another scripture, but this time not dealing with God’s ways and thoughts. But His love. Psalm 103:11 declares:

“For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His love for those who fear him.”

‘As high as the heavens are above the earth’ means immeasurable. His boundless love flows unrelenting and pure. His thoughts cannot be understood by our finite minds, but neither can we understand the depth of His love.

When we cannot comprehend what God is doing, we acknowledge His ways and thoughts extend infinitely higher than ours. And though we may not find understanding, we can find rest in His unfathomable love.

But how? How do we do that? When everything looks confusing and bad and full of hurt and fear, how do we “rest”? Through childlike trust.

Many things a child cannot know or grasp, yet they look to us and trust us to make good decisions, to watch over them and protect them, and to provide for them. 

So God does for us.

We need to develop the same trust we see in little ones. Instead of fretting and worrying, finagling and manipulating, trying to understand the details of God’s plan, we choose to believe and rest in His sovereignty and His immeasurable, fierce love. In believing that He will provide, protect, and lead us, our trust grows and we relax and lean into His side.

Paradox exists in the human situation. God gave us minds to use to the very limits of our ability. But equally true, there are times when our understanding is reached and all that remains is acceptance and worship of our powerful, He-is-for-me, King. 

“At many times in life, there is nothing left but to say:
I cannot grasp your mind, but with my whole heart I trust in your love.
Your will be done!” -William Barclay

God possesses absolute sovereignty to accomplish His purposes as He sees fit. Who among us has any grounds to question Him? We have no right to assume our will, shaped by limited, clouded understanding, over His sovereign will rooted in complete, unlimited knowledge and perfect perception and understanding of all things. The only appropriate response is to bow in humble worship and proclaim His glory.

In Romans 11:33-34, 36, this truth turns out praise-filled poetry. The searching, unanswered questions of Paul’s mind turn to adoration in his heart.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgements,
And His paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been His counselor?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever! Amen

In humble acknowledgement of His greatness and our frailty, we seek Him while He may be found and call on Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6) We forsake our ways and our confused, doubt-filled, uncertain thoughts and turn to the Lord.  When we do, He has mercy on us and freely pardons, so that all who believe will be saved. (Isaiah 55:7)

Then with childlike trust, we walk through our storm in perfect peace, knowing we are held close to His side, His immeasurable love swirling around us, seeing us through.

Photo by Arleen Wiese on Unsplash