Isaiah 55:8 – Far More Life

Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV)

A new year is upon us. Many use this as a time to set goals, make resolutions, and embrace new habits. Opening a new calendar carries a sense of starting fresh, trying again, changing for the better.

But sometimes we feel stuck, hopeless, or lacking options. We can believe past experiences and choices have consequences that are insurmountable. Because we cannot see a way forward or better circumstances, it is hard to believe they exist. If change is outside of our immediate control, it feels like an impossibility.

Rest assured, sisters; God is not bound by the same limitations as us! He knows and sees what we cannot (Daniel 2:22). His Word promises that He is doing new things. His will is always accomplished (Job 42:1-2). His way is perfect (Psalm 18:30). But the place where His is working may not be where we are looking:

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:25-27, NIV)

God is more concerned about your heart than your circumstances. He knows a new and improved heart is our biggest need. Far more life does not come from our circumstances, rather from our heart connection to Him. The new thing He wants to do this year is within you. He wants to give you peace where you have worry, fear, or anxiety. He wants to give you joy where you have depression, apathy, or pain. He wants to give you love where you have doubts, hurts, or loneliness. He wants to give you hope where you have despair or hopelessness. But these heart changes do not guarantee the challenges you face will evaporate. These are found in accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior and receiving the Holy Spirit. With Him at the center of your heart, you may find Him doing something new even if you remain in the difficult situation.

Once He has renewed our hearts, sometimes we fail to perceive the new thing He is doing because we are looking in the wrong place. If we will only accept one solution from Him, or are only willing to look in one direction for His work, we will miss it. He has made it clear that we are incapable of anticipating exactly what He will do:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8, NIV)

Yet, He has also promised not to hide Himself or His work from us:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13, NIV)

Far more life trusts that God is working and allows Him to work in the timing and way that He deems best. It scans the horizon expectantly, eager to see where He will appear and what gift He has in store. It anticipates His goodness, provision, and wisdom. And it is rewarded with more than expected, even though it may also be different than expected.

Sisters,
As you anticipate this year how do you feel about it?
What new thing are you planning to do this year?
What new thing has God done for you (or within you) in the past?
How do you feel about the possibility that God will change your heart rather than your circumstances?
Ask God to help you look for His work everywhere and not limit your search to the places you want it to be.
Embrace a renewed heart — and far more life — as you recognize and celebrate His work!
-Shari

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8, AMP)

This verse is proven true by the Christmas story, the events of Jesus’ birth as recorded in the Bible. If humans were planning this historical event, we would have done it much differently!

…Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14, NASB)

We would not have asked Mary to carry the burden of misunderstanding and public rejection that accompanied the virgin birth. We would have wanted her to remain respected and accepted. Yet God knew the virgin birth was the best for His plan.

The angel said to her, “…You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God.” (Luke 1:30-32, NASB)
…An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20, NASB)

We would have told the angel to talk with Mary and Joseph together. Then they could have been united from the beginning, both having heard the same proclamation, both having the opportunity to ask questions. Yet God chose to tell them separately for His own reasons.

So Joseph and his fiancé, Mary, left Nazareth…When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary went into labor, and there she gave birth to her firstborn son. After wrapping the newborn baby in strips of cloth, they laid him in a feeding trough since there was no available space in any upper room in the village. (Luke 2:4-7, TPT)

We would not have sent our son to be born in the feed trough of a barn in a distant city. We would have wanted him to be in a more comfortable environment, perhaps the best hospital or at home with the best midwife. Yet God’s perfect plan for His Son’s arrival on earth prevailed.

When the angels went away from them back into heaven, the shepherds…hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and saw the baby lying in the manger. (Luke 2:15-16, GNT)

We would not have let our son’s first visitors be shepherds from nearby fields. We would have chosen close family and friends to share our joy and welcome our son. But God knew shepherds were the best visitors to welcome His Son to earth.

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” (Matthew 2:13, NASB)

We would not have forced our son to flee to a foreign country to spare his life from a jealous king. We would not have wanted to uproot his life in this way. But God had a reason for His direction, even if He did not share the details with Joseph.

Throughout the rest of His life on earth, Jesus encountered many more situations where God’s ways are not the ways we would have chosen. And we experience this in our lives, too. Far more life does not expect God to think and act as we want. It is secure in telling God, “I do not understand why you did it like this.” But it also submits to His authority and wholeheartedly believes that He alone knows best because He alone knows everything. Far more life is more than yielding to God’s ways; it is embracing them as the best ways.

The book of Job records a man and his friends doing their best to decipher why God has allowed Job to encounter so many troubles. And they fail miserably! For 37 chapters they present their proposals and arguments. Then, starting in chapter 38, God challenges their knowledge and wisdom with His truth. Humbled by God’s reminders of the vast differences between Himself and humans, Job meekly answers:

I know that You can do all things, and that no plan is impossible for You…Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I do not know…I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You. (Job 42:2-5, NASB)

Job found far more life by discovering a new depth of understanding of the difference between God’s thoughts and his own, and between God’s ways and his own. He admitted that God’s understanding is too wonderful for him to comprehend. His spiritual eyes were open to the vast difference between himself and God.

Human nature has not changed since Job’s time. We still are tempted to create God in our image rather than resting in far more life by allowing ourselves to be molded to His image. When we find ourselves resisting God, we are wise to stop and ask ourselves why. How do we feel about God at that moment? What false belief about Him is controlling us and robbing us of far more life? What is preventing us from trusting Him completely? What aspect of His character are we doubting or disbelieving? Why are we resisting Him?

Clinging to our limited understanding makes us miserable. Letting go of our thoughts on how things should be and adopting God’s thoughts brings peace and joy. In moments of doubt, remember the Christmas story: God’s perfect plan to bring us far more life!

Sisters,
Where do you struggle to accept God’s ways?
In what areas of life have you expected God to do what you want?
Are you willing to look for the false beliefs that are robbing you of far more life?
How can the Christmas story remind you that God’s ways are best?
Thank God for His perfect plan for you — and the gift of far more life!
-Shari

Tag: Isaiah 55:8

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