Divine Disagreement
“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.” Isaiah 55:8-9 NLT
Insight
From the outside looking in, Christianity can look like a farce that was conjured up to bring hurting people solace in their distress. Though, walking with God is not just comforting—it is challenging. God’s desires for us are often incongruent with what we desire for ourselves. He regularly commands us to do what we don’t feel like doing. Our instinct is to rush, rather than rest; hold onto bitterness, rather than forgive; to go our own way, rather than obey.
I’ll be the first to admit it: it’s extremely frustrating to be in an intimate relationship with the One who is always right. Though, as odd as it might sound, disagreeing with God is a true gift, in a handful of ways.
First, the fact that God disagrees with us serves as proof that He is real. If God was a figment of our imagination, He would endorse every selfish, irresponsible, and impulsive decision we wanted to make. God doesn’t bend to our will—and that’s a good thing. A god who’d let us self-destruct isn’t a god worth following.
Secondly, when we disagree with God, we know that we are being vulnerable and genuine before Him. God wants us to be honest with Him when we don’t understand what He’s doing or why He’s leading us in a certain direction. When we come humbly before Him to express our frustration and confusion, we have the priceless opportunity to gain His perspective and realign our hearts with His. This may not happen immediately, but God is faithful to give us His eyes to see our situation in due time. In retrospect, we often find that God was right all along. I have a long list of prayers I’m grateful God didn’t answer, and I’m sure you have one, too.
God wants to share His insights with us. This is a huge reason to praise Him! He doesn’t hide His wisdom from us; He lets us in on the secrets to living a full, others-focused, love-drenched life (John 15:15). God’s decrees and directions may rub up against our immediate desires, but they are worth wrestling with. Afterall, God wants better for us than we could ever want for ourselves.
Through it all, we have to remember that our perspective is limited. We can only see what is right in front of us. God knows the entire story. His perspective is infinite. Only He can guide us in the best way to live.
Reflection
Think of a time where you disagreed with God regarding what was best for you. How was His faithfulness evident in this disagreement?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for knowing what is best for me and for making Your wisdom known to me. I often struggle to accept Your guidance. Father, humble me and help me to remember that Your ways are higher than mine. Help me to pay attention when I disagree with You—in those moments, I have an opportunity to trust and obey You. When I go Your way, I am always headed in the right direction. Help me to trust in Your wisdom more than my instincts. Father, I love You, and I thank You for the cross. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.