Isaiah 55:6-9 6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.   Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.   “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.

Since God’s ways and God’s thoughts are higher than ours, we need to examine our ways. When we say we seek justice, we usually mean what seems fair to us, what is in our own best interest, without taking the other parties into consideration. Our ways tell us that if someone does you wrong, get revenge. If someone hurts you, don’t get mad, get even.

God’s ways are not like that. His thoughts are different.

God’s thoughts include forgiveness. Even though your sins have earned punishment and death, God does not hold sin against those who put their faith in Christ Jesus. Instead, He forgives you.

God’s way includes grace. He gives you eternal life freely, a gift with no strings attached. It was earned, but not by you. Jesus earned it for you with His life and death. It is God’s to give, and He does that to those who have faith in His promises. You get it because of God’s love, not because of anything you have done.

God’s way includes mercy. You are undeserving, but He wants you to have salvation. It comes from mercy, which is more than simply taking pity on us. It comes from His compassion, His heart, wanting the best for us and being merciful.

God’s ways and thoughts could never have been conceived or dreamed up had He not told us about them. Our lives deserve to be punished because we have not met the high standards God established for His people. But because of God’s grace that reaches out to all people in Christ Jesus and our faith in what He did for us, we will get off without even a slap on the wrist.

The first part of this passage reveals just how different God’s thoughts and ways are from ours: Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Why should we be able to find God? We don’t deserve it, but we live in a time of grace. God could be remote and inaccessible, wanting to stay as far away from the stench of our sins as possible. And He would be justified to come into the world and wipe it all out because of sin. Yet He chooses to be approachable, to invite us into His presence. He is readily accessible.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

What sweet sounding words to our sinful ears! All you have to do is turn from your sins and to the Lord. You have been called to repent of your sins and trust in Jesus. God is then merciful and forgiving. Instead of coming to destroy, He came into this world to reconcile, to pardon and to save. Now He is patiently giving people the opportunity to call to Him for mercy and be saved.

When you think about the relationship you have with God through faith in Jesus Christ, the pardon in spite of sin, the life instead of death, blessing instead of punishment, you should be thankful that His ways are not our ways.