“’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.’” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
We were never meant to figure things out on our own. Trust me, I’ve tried. I am a classic overthinker. I make informed decisions by weighing the pros and cons and determining the best course of action. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out the way I thought they would. So I end up going to God and pleading for help.
For example, I once thought I could save a ton of money by repainting my bathroom cabinets myself. However, after multiple attempts at sanding and painting, I couldn’t get them to look even halfway decent. So, I ultimately had to replace them with a new vanity. In the end, it cost me three weeks of frustration and twice as much money.
Friend, trying to figure things out for ourselves has been a problem since the beginning of time. Look what happened to Adam and Eve when they thought they had a better way. They lived in paradise in close communion with the Lord. There was only one rule: Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).
Ah, but the crafty serpent tricked them into thinking they had figured out a better way: “You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5, NASB). Thus, because Adam and Eve thought they figured out a better way than God, sin entered the world. And we have been struggling ever since.
The Bible explains that God’s ways, thoughts, and plans are different than ours. God’s thoughts are on a higher plane and beyond our comprehension.“‘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.’” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)
So what can we do when we are tempted to overthink and figure things out for ourselves?
- Pray.
“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5, NASB).
- Seek guidance from God’s Word.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105, NIV)
- Submit to the Holy Spirit
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come” (John 16:13, NIV).
Never fear, dear friend, God’s ways may be higher than our best ideas, but we know He has good plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). And when we have God’s help, we can do anything! (Philippians 4:13).
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for overthinking and constantly trying to figure everything out on my own. Help me to pray, seek guidance in your Word, submit to your Holy Spirit, and trust that you have good plans for me.
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