October 8, 2025

Minding Your Thoughts

A Biblical Overview of Obtaining and Maintaining a Biblical Thought Life

Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

You’ve heard it: “If I were God…” Usually this statement is followed by an action that would benefit the person speaking, sometimes it is followed by an action that would seemingly help others, but always it is based upon human thought and rationale. Someone may ask the question: “Why would God do that,” or “Why doesn’t God do this” or some other question that is impossible for human rationale to understand.

                        The vase said to the Potter

                        Why have you made me this way?

                        My neck is far too narrow

                        And my handle is too fragile they say!

                        The potter said to the beautiful vase

                        Why speak to me in this way?

                        If it were not for my loving touch

                        You’d still be a hunk of clay!

For over thirty years I have enjoyed following the Presidential election for our country. I enjoy the drama of it all, the spectacle, the pomp, and circumstance of it all. The political posturing of the candidates is amusing, brilliant and sad all at the same time. To see these powerful people pandering for votes, amazing! No matter the party affiliation, the past offices the candidate has held, or the wisdom they possess, one thing is found in common among all who run for the highest office in our land that has never held that office before. They all say without exception: “When I am in the Oval Office I will do this or that (whatever promises they think motivate people to vote for them).”  When I hear this, I always think, no, you won’t!

They won’t do “this or that,” not because they initially lie about it, they won’t do it not because it is not a good idea, and they won’t do it because it is not popular. They will fail to fulfill those promises for the same reason their predecessor did not do them; they can’t. You see, once a person actually holds the office of President, they learn things that few people know, they learn things that are classified, they learn all kinds of things that only the President can know.

The same is true with God. He knows things we do not know, things we cannot know. It is folly to blame Him, critique Him, second guess Him or pretend to know better than Him. We know this to be absolutely true because of the verse that immediately follows the one posted above: For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. In the New Testament the same truth is recorded another way: O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! (Romans 11:33).

Truer words were never spoken; My thoughts are not your thoughts…saith the Lord.

May the Lord bless and be pleased with your thought life today.

Dr. William Howe