“Count it ALL JOY” Part Two

Again, this blog is based on James 1:2-4: “Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”[1]

Regarding Point 3; from Part 1 of this blog:

To reiterate, in Isa. 55:8-9 (God says) ” . . . My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. “. . . As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”[2] 

Question: Exactly HOW high are the heavens from the earth? Just what kind of gap—between God’s ways and ours’—are we looking at here?

Well, the distance between where our brain[3] sits upon our shoulders, and the outer-edge of the (observable) universe, is touted as 30 BILLION light-years away.[4]

Please note that we are not talking here of: ‘race-car-speed’ years, nor ‘bullet-train-speed’ years; nor ‘satellite-speed’ years, of approximately 430,000 miles per hour. No! ‘Light-year’ speed (in a vacuum) is 186,282 miles per second! [5]

If you travelled at the speed of light, you could circle the earth 7.5 times in one second! 

To further explain how far the Lord’s ways are above ours, simply multiply the number above (186,282 miles per second) times 31,536,000 (the number of seconds in a year), times at least 30 billion, and well . . . I think we get the picture!

This then, is the distance (at least) between GOD’S ways and OUR ways; HIS thoughts and OUR thoughts!

In view of this incredible discrepancy, could there be room for a perspective different from ours? . . . A perspective that foreknows: facts, outcomes and reasonings, etc.—so that God is crafting and formulating an outcome for our good—that we could never imagine nor foresee?

Examples

Take a young teen named Kai.[6] Kai fervently desires, and persistently prays for a ‘PlayStation’ (PS)—for playing video games. His parents attempt buying him one for Christmas, but all stores are sold out. Months later, a friend gifts him with one. It’s promptly stolen. Weeks later, Kai’s brother buys him one, but it immediately breaks. Kai is angry with God; all of Kai’s buddies have one! Why won’t God answer Kai’s prayer? Kai doesn’t get it. God must be a ‘kill-joy;’ indifferent to Kai’s wants.

Truth? The Lord, who called Kai ‘before the creation of the world,’[7] knows the destiny he has for Kai. He knows Kai will develop a quick addiction to video games, and his grades will suffer, keeping him from college and the calling God has for him as a brilliant chemist. Withholding the PS is a protective act of love! (Does Kai see this? Of course not!)

And there’s the true story of the astronaut—who, though most qualified—was eliminated from a space shuttle mission because his application got lost in the mail. No manner of reasoning, pleading or prayer restored him to eligibility. On the day the satellite launched, his wife watched it from their bedroom, furious with God–when suddenly, this shuttle burst into flames before her eyes. All seven on board perished! [8]

Does God know more than WE do, with our finite, pea-brains?

Even more importantly, God foresees how a certain trial will sanctify us—in answer to our persistent prayers for Christ-likeness!