His Ways Are Higher

I have to admit that I have seen, heard and used the phrase a lot lately so much that it has become a bit of a catchphrase. I have heard it declared during sermons at church, seen it used as a tagline on social media platforms and if I’m honest with myself, I write it on birthday cards and text it to friends and family, especially when I want to sound “super-spiritual” but do not know exactly what to say. The phrase, “The best is yet to come” when said, is encouraging and provides a sense of hope and anticipation for what’s next. However, without even realizing it, we have already determined what our “BEST” should look like. There are a few catchphrases we use that has caused me to reflect on how I affirm them in my own life. Do I even believe what I am telling others to believe?

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” – Jeremiah 29:11

We often approach Jeremiah 29:11 the same way as the phrase “The best is yet to come”, like a security blanket. This is not all God promised the Israelites and not all He is promising us either, at least not in the way we sometimes understand and apply the verse. The heart of the verse is not that we escape all, but that we would learn to thrive in the midst of it. The children of Israel were in captivity in Babylon due to sin and disobedience to God. For many generations, God’s people had been living their lives the way they saw fit, then Jeremiah calls out Hananiah’s lie and declares the promise in Jeremiah 29:11.

God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, one that will provide them with hope and a future but not in the place they think. Let’s take a closer look; before Jeremiah shares this promise, he gives them instruction from God in Jeremiah 29:7: “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”  This is not exactly music to one’s ears, nor does it scream the “The BEST is yet to come”. Imagine in exile being told to seek peace in a place of pain. I’m sure all they longed for was to be told they were returning home and the suffering was going to end.

It’s no surprise that God operates completely differently from us.“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

I have come to realize that “the best is yet to come” should be more than a catchphrase. It should be a declaration demanding that we extend ourselves beyond the convenient and comfortable, not only in actions but in our attitude.

God’s plan for them was to stay right where they were and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them. To add another punch to the gut, God said that He would fulfill this after 70 years are completed in Babylon. This meant none of that generation of Israelites would ever return to their home. Not the way I personally would have envisioned this story to play out, but that’s when it hit me, have we been confusing our idea of best with God’s actual best? Do we believe that God has the very BEST planned for our lives? This may be a difficult question for some of us to answer. You may be thinking about your current situation, shaking your head as you read this and wondering how anything could change for the better at this point. You may feel today that “lockdown” feels like Babylon. But remember God’s word declares that He knows the plans He has for you. Keep in mind that the Israelites were in a place they felt defeated, abandoned, rejected, forsaken and unloved, similar to how some might feel now. The good news is that regardless of where we are, God is with us! Our destination does not determine God’s presence. God is sovereign and He is everywhere.

I have come to realize that “the best is yet to come” should be more than a catchphrase. It should be a declaration demanding that we extend ourselves beyond the convenient and comfortable, not only in actions but in our attitude. Even when our destination is not ideal, it doesn’t invalidate His best for us. This pandemic wasn’t on my mind as I jumped into 2020 with an expectation of change. Did the change come in the ways I thought? NO! Not until I realised God can use the most unlikely situations to bring Glory to His name.

The next time you find yourself affirming “The best is yet to come”, remember that your idea of the best and God’s plan of the best could be two different things. Yet we can trust His ways are always the BEST. Click To Tweet

In the end, this is what “The best is yet to come” looked like in the book of Jeremiah; restoration was brought to Israel and Judah, joy was exchanged for mourning and gladness for sorrow. So the question is, how do you apply this truth to your life? Well, all I can say is that I have learned not to confuse God’s best with life —it’s about letting God be God. When I let go and let God, the realisation hit me to the point that my attitude changed from nearly surviving to thriving in the place God has planted me with the promise of peace that surpasses all understanding. I have learned to admit that change is hard but good and both can go in the same sentence, and I can embrace it because it’s necessary.

The consequences of disobedience to God does not feel good. So, I want to encourage you to cling to Jeremiah 29:11, but for the right reason, not in the hope that God will take away your suffering the way you imagine, but in the true gospel confidence that He will give you hope in the midst of it. So the next time you find yourself affirming “The best is yet to come”, remember that your idea of the best and God’s plan of the best could be two different things. Yet we can trust His ways are always the BEST.