“‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the LORD. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine’” (Isaiah 55:8, NLT).

We are doing ourselves a disservice when we pray for things to happen at a certain time in a certain way. We are playing God when we do that. Unless God shows you something, we shouldn’t be making such decisions for our future, or for the future of others. His ways are better than ours.

Praying for our way to happen is thinking we know best. We think we know what is needed or desirable, but we have such a limited view of the world. God’s the only one who knows it all. God’s the only one who is good all the time. God’s the one whose ways are far beyond what we could imagine.

For instance, don’t pray to get that job, or that someone would get that job; pray that God would lead into the position of His choosing for maximum impact for the kingdom. It might not look as good at first glance, but you go into it cheerfully, and even with excitement, because God chose it and has purpose in it for your good, for His glory, and for the building of His kingdom. He’s doing things differently than we would do them, and that is a good thing.

Our verse today is reminiscent of the famous verse at the end of Ephesians 3, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (verse 20, NLT). People take this verse to mean that God is going to do these huge things because we can imagine some big, exciting things that God could do. But God’s bigger and better isn’t our bigger and better. His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways are beyond what we could imagine. Our imaginations aren’t His plans that He’s then going to add to. Our imaginations are limited in that they often are centered around us. Even if they are prayers for an area, it’s most likely an area connected to us somehow.

We are limited. God is infinite. God is working out more than we could possibly imagine. He’s not just wanting to make this one little miracle happen that we’re praying for because we think it would make our lives better in some way. He’s working His life into us. He’s working the image of Christ into us. He’s answering the prayers to have more of Him and less of us. He’s answering our prayers to be His witnesses. He’s answering the prayers of those around us. It’s not just us. He’s working all things for your good and His glory, and for the good of His children around you. And He’s using it all for His redemptive purposes on Earth. There’s a lot going on, more than your tunnel vision.

Ask God to have His way with your life, your future, and with those around you.