Beautiful cotton clouds over rural Georgia
Photography by Curtis and Norma Beaird
Article by Norma Beaird
Isaiah 55:8-9
For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Before I looked on the front page of our blog today to see the daily scripture that was posted in the sidebar, I had already planned to use Curtis' cloud picture for this article. I didn't expect to see another cloud picture attached to Isaiah 55:8 on the daily scripture, but I realized again, that God is in control and that it was the scripture that the Lord wanted me to use for today's blog post. God is always one step ahead of us. To be honest, He's usually ten or twenty steps ahead of us. And for that, I am very grateful. Here is the Bible Verse that was posted on 7/20/2017 (it changes everyday):
I'm thankful that we serve a Heavenly Father whose thoughts and ways are higher than ours. Sometimes, in our carnal human life, we can set the bar rather low. We expect less for ourselves than God expects. We can get to a point in our lives, especially as we get older, where we think that good things aren't in store for us anymore. Because life has dealt us some tiresome blows, we find ourselves driving into an emotional ditch. We reach for mediocrity and God wants nothing less than the best for our lives. However, we may find it difficult to believe that God wants the best for us when we're in a frustrating situation, or we're physically sick, or emotionally drained. We wonder where the Lord is when we're fighting evil, struggling on the job or dealing with financial worries. We pray and it seems that the answer never arrives. Still, God is always in control.
.....His ways are higher than our ways.
Aloe Vera Plants
Just like these Aloe Vera plants have taken root and are growing, God wants us "take root" and grow spiritually. One way that we grow in our Christian walk is the practice of faith. Sometimes the skies look dark and gloomy and sometimes it seems that the answer will never come, but we must believe that our blue sky will soon show up. We must live a life of spiritual expectancy, always expecting God's best for our life.
#FAITH
We must learn to trust God in the storms of life.
Faith is not easy, but it's absolutely necessary to the Christian walk. If we never learn to trust in God, then we will never find peace, no matter the situation. Trusting God means that we get up every morning and thank God that we woke up today and then thank Him for His many blessings. We pray unto the Lord and ask Him to guide our thoughts, our work, our steps and our words. We ask the Lord to give us wisdom and discernment. We pray for His divine protection. We ask Him for healing and help in every trying matter. We ask him to deliver us from the hand of the enemy. ....and then we trust Him. We trust Him completely. Is it easy? Of course, it's not easy. But, it's necessary. If we want peace, we must have faith and trust in the Lord.
College Baptist Church - Mount Vernon, Georgia
The picture above of the church surrounded by the beautiful blue sky is a perfect way to explain "God's ways". When we have faith and trust in God, we can know that no matter the storm, no matter how much rain is falling down, that a blue sky is just around the corner. This is how it feels to trust God. You don't "spiritually" see the dark, gloomy skies. You "spiritually" see the sky of blue. It's called faith. Faith and trust.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Every single day that we wake up is another opportunity to strengthen our faith and deepen our trust. The Lord knows that living in this sinful, selfish world is not easy. He already knows and understands the challenges that we face every minute of every day. But, His promises are true. His ways are perfect. And, He loves us more than anyone could ever love us. As our Father, He is watching us when we think that He's nowhere around. You may think that He's a million miles away; and, in reality, He's standing next to you, helping you every step of the way......if you will trust Him and allow Him to help you. The choice is ours. We can allow God to help us or we can push Him away with doubt and unbelief. God loves us enough to not force us to choose His best for us. We're neither puppets nor robots. We do have a choice. However, life will teach us that faith and trust helps to solve our problems, not doubt and unbelief.
Please don't let another minute go by without turning your life or your circumstance over to God in prayer.
The Lord is just as close as the next prayer that you pray.
God's way is always better.
Psalm 13:6
I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me.
Copyright 2017, Curtis and Norma Beaird. All rights reserved.
