Thursday, April 28, 2011

God's ways are NOT our ways

I was just cruising around Facebook and saw a verse posted that is one of my favorites from Isaiah 55:8-9

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts."

Now, isn't that just exactly true? His thoughts and ways are nothing like ours. We are so limited by our humanness. He is God Almighty and nothing or anything limits his thoughts or actions. Thank goodness for that. We are so pitiful in our limited understanding of Him or even each other. 

But the Lord is ever the gentleman, just waiting patiently, while we trip over ourselves again and again. We pick ourselves up and dust off each time, but don't you really wonder if the Lord just looks down here at earth and thinks "They are so pathetic, but I love them just the same. If they would just turn to me, instead of trying to fix it themselves, I could make it so much easier for them. Why are they always so doggone determined to think they know what's best."

Well, I think I know why we want to do it ourselves. At least I think I've got it figured out for me anyway. It's because I don't want to wait. Not even a for a minute. I think I can do it right now and get the results I want, so I storm full steam ahead. I'm a type A personality. I'm a can do kind of woman, and I've always prided myself on that.

But isn't that true of most of us? Surely, we know what's best, right? We're the smartest people we know, and we've got it all together....we can pull it off.

WRONG!  We think we're so smart, but we are nothing compared to the Almighty and Powerful Creator of the Universe. There is another wonderful verse from Isaiah 40:31 that comes to mind about waiting for God's perfect timing:

"But those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

But is it ever hard for us humans to wait! It's not built into our DNA to wait. We want to move ahead right now and we want to move forward with our own plans. But our plans are minimal and fruitless if they are not in accordance with His will for our lives, which reminds me of yet another wonderful verse tonight from Matthew 6:33:

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well." Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own."

It seems like the simplest thing in the world-- Easier instructions could not be written: Seek His will for our lives and he will take care of all the rest. Isn't that a tremendous comfort. It sure is for me.

Here's an example from my life on waiting for God's perfect timing:

I was so sick with MS for those 13 long years and prayed for God to heal me each day. He gave me strength to face my illness, but I always thought the cure for MS would be through the discovery of some new drug. When Tysabri was released in 2004, I believed that I finally had an answer to my prayers. I had one dose, felt fabulous and then it was pulled from the market because 2 people died. I was devastated. "Why are you doing this to me Lord", I wondered and I waited. It was re-released again in 06' but this time I was allergic to it. I was crushed again. "What is going on God, I screamed. How much longer am I going to have to wait? I'm feeling pretty darn lousy down here,  haven't you noticed I'm getting sicker and sicker. Are you paying attention at all?"

But God didn't want me on that drug, he had something better planned for me. I just had to wait and waiting is not easy. But I did because I had no choice. I waited and the praying continued for my healing. Then in 2010, 4 years later, along comes a guy name Dr. Paulo Zamboni, who tells the world about CCSVI. What the heck is that and who is Dr. Zamboni, isn't he that guy who invented the ice machine."?

But Dr. Zamboni's discovery was the answer to my many prayers and I'm sure the prayers of thousands and thousands of other family members watching their loved ones waste away from MS. And, I can imagine with the 2.5 million people suffering worldwide with MS, there have been a ton of prayers lifted up for healing from this disease, not just mine. Dr. Zamboni is a man of faith, just like I am a woman of faith. He was crying out to God to help his wife suffering with MS, and God gave him CCSVI. But CCSVI is a vascular problem, so how does that help MS? Don't know but it does. Improved blood flow and opening up blockages and narrowed veins has helped relieve many of the worst symptoms of the disease. It's totally a God-Thing. A totally out of the blue, not what you expected kind of thing.

CCSVI makes total sense, at least to me it does, because that is how our God operates, when you least expect it in a totally different way from us. God answered my prayer for healing in His way and in His time. It's so simple and yet it's such a miracle. Surely His ways are NOT our ways and I will be forever thankful.

My verses for today are in red above.

My prayer for today:

Dear Heavenly Father:

I am so grateful that your ways are not our ways. Help me to be forever mindful of that and to wait in patience for your will to align with my desires for my life. I know that if we are not in sync things will not be right. Help me to Praise you in all circumstances and in all situations, because that is what you want me to do. Thank you for Dr. Zamboni's discovery and thank you for the doctors around the world that are stepping out of the box and embracing his research and helping so many of us suffering with MS. I have a grateful heart Lord.

In Jesus name I pray,
Amen