When We Don’t Want What God Wants

One of the foundational Bible passages in my theology is Isaiah 55:8-9:

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.

To me, this says that there is a fundamental difference in the ways and thoughts of men and the ways and thoughts of God. They don’t just slightly deviate from one another on the minor, insignificant secondary matters. As the heavens are higher than the earth, to the ancient mind, signified immeasurable distance. For us, it might not seem like that big a distance, if you think of “the heavens” as “the sky” or even space. The sky starts where the ground stops, so it is technically higher, but only slightly. Even if we…