A teaching by Rev. Barbara Williams, President of the Ministry of the Watchman International
Week of July 3-7, 2023
MONDAY
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:7-9
The ways of God are not the ways of man. Man can learn and follow the ways of God, but God will not do things man’s way. God’s way is best, because it is higher than man’s way. God’s way originates from a loftier place; a place of mercy. God’s ways originate in His mind or His counsel. The counsel of God is forever settled.
Because God is holy, it is impossible for Him to err. Because He has no beginning or end, He is eternal. This means that God is in full control and has full power. So His ways emanate from this position of full power. Since God only has to answer to Himself, this makes the counsel of man—and any other created being—subject to God’s ways.
God uses the example of the heavens being higher than the earth to validate that His ways are higher than man’s ways. God’s thoughts are higher than man’s thoughts. His love and mercy are everlasting. The comparison of heaven to earth is an important one. It is not used here to show mere distance, but it is used to show the place of origin of the thoughts of man vs. the thoughts of God. Thoughts create ways and ways are a product of thoughts. The thoughts of man in his carnal state are earthly, devilish and sensual. They pertain to the temporal only. But the thoughts of God are lofty, elevated, pure, superior to man’s. These thoughts will supplant and uproot man’s thoughts and deeds.
This is why God can do what He can do for us: He can redeem, repair, heal and restore us in every way because the thoughts of God emanate from a higher place, through a higher character with a higher purity. God is love and He is the Most High God.
If you are in need of healing, there is good news! Proverbs 4:20-22 SAYS:
My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
So there is life and health in God’s word. Since God’s word is medicine, we must take it like we would a prescription. I suggest three times a day, like you would your food. Remember, healing is the children’s bread. Consider this your “dose” for today. Remember, read, and meditate three times a day the following:
Rx: Psalm 41:1-3 ~ Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him; the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15
If you’ve never studied the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, we invite you to join us as we read through the Bible in a year. Read and meditate on these chapters this week:
July 3: Joshua 5-6:5, Psalms 132-134, Isaiah 65, Matthew 13
July 4: Joshua 6:6-26, Psalms 135-136, Isaiah 66, Matthew 14
July 5: Joshua 7, Psalms 137-138, Jeremiah 1, Matthew 15
July 6: Joshua 8, Psalms 139, Jeremiah 2, Matthew 16
July 7: Joshua 9, Psalms 140-141, Jeremiah 3, Matthew 17
July 8: Joshua 10, Psalms 142-143, Jeremiah 4, Matthew 18
July 9: Joshua 11, Psalms 144, Jeremiah 5, Matthew 19
TUESDAY
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” [says the Lord.]
Isaiah 55:10-11
Here we have another earth to heaven analogy. God gives the example of rain and snow falling down and not returning back up. It seems logical to us that this would happen. After all, we all know that a force called gravity compels this to happen. Even a strong wind cannot keep the rain from hitting the ground.
Yep, it’s pretty well established that whatever comes from the sky will fall to the ground. Even things that are projected upward from earth eventually fall back down. Then heaven holds the most power, doesn’t it? Try as he might, earthly man cannot invade heaven. Instead, earth ,ust be watered from above (heaven). There is a purpose for this.
One purpose is that heaven seeks to work with the earth… for the seeds which bring forth the buds of every living plant on the earth are located here on earth. This too is part of God’s Master plan to reach man.
We see from this example that man must have contact with God to survive, even in the natural. Man is dependent upon the rain for the supply of water that makes the seeds grow. So the highest way, God’s way, is that man must rely on God for his very sustenance. Which of us could have thought of such a thing?
WEDNESDAY
“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” [says the Lord.]
Isaiah 55:10-11
God uses the business of farming, which He created, to teach us His ways.
His word is a seed. Just as we study earthly seeds, we must study spiritual seeds. Whenever we see a baby born, or watch a flower grow, we receive insight into God’s Kingdom and how it manifests. God’s word is like the rain coming down from heaven that meets with a seed on earth. It will produce.
What word has God spoken to you? Oh, you don’t think He talks to you much. “Consider the lilies of the field,” is what Jesus said. When we consider these things, or ponder these things, then God speaks to us.
God may speak to your heart through prophecy, through preaching or teaching, even on the internet. A more sure way of hearing from God is to spend time reading His word. When you consider Him, He speaks to you.
You may consider Him because you have a need in your life. Needs create opportunities for communication with God. Again, the highest way prevails. When you express the need to God, He expresses the answer back to you. His word becomes alive to you and is issued forth out of His mouth afresh and new to you.
Even though it may come through a human vessel, off a page of the Bible, or in your heart, it is issued forth from heaven and will accomplish what it says. Could you ever have thought of doing that?
THURSDAY
“For you shall go out with joy, and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” [says the Lord.]
Isaiah 55:12
Here’s a mind blower. Resting in His ways produces joy and peace. When you choose God’s ways, you even see the mountains smiling and the trees clapping. When we accept and operate in God’s wisdom, creation gives us a standing ovation.
When we choose God’s way, the Highest way, then the highest things on earth, the mountains and the trees, rejoice with us. They receive the benefit of our obedience to cooperate with heaven and accept the highest way. When man cooperates with God, even the hills sing because they are glad. They rejoice to have heaven’s touch on them.
Creation also groans waiting for the sons of God to manifest and obtain our rightful inheritance in God (Romans 8:19-23). They labor when we don’t cooperate with God. Because of man’s ways apart from God, many of our natural resources are being wasted and misused, but with God’s ways, these things of the earth can be used wisely to bless all of humanity.
When we seek God’s best, all creation benefits and is glad. God even allows the trees to applaud man’s union with Him. I couldn’t have thought of anything so clever. Could you?
FRIDAY
[The Lord says,] “Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
Isaiah 55:13
Redemption comes. Evidence of man’s cooperation with God can be seen in nature. When man disobeyed God, the earth received a curse. “Cursed is the ground for your sake… both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you.” (Genesis 3:17-18).
Man was also promised a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15). The Redeemer is the Living Word, which abides forever. The Redeemer is our Hope. Hope maketh not ashamed. Hope is blessed and eternal.
So, right at the moment of man’s failure, God promises a hope and a cure. Right at the point of man’s greatest disappointment, God offers the way of escape. God promises man that He will flourish again, but this time, He will take the Highest way; God’s way.
“God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him” (2 Samuel 14:14).
As a faithful Creator, God establishes the way back to full partnership with Him, and He establishes us in His goodness forever. I know you’re tired of me asking, but could you have ever thought of such a thing?
Our God is love, and His perfect love drives out all fear. Even when we find it hard to love ourselves, His love for us is never failing; never ending. He shows the most trust in us when we feel the least trustworthy. He reigns on High. He reigns Supreme. His mercy triumphs over judgment. His is the Highest Way.