"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

Devotion

I remember when it occurred to me that I should read the Bible. For some reason, it had never occurred to me before. Early in my faith journey, when I was trying to “get serious” about my faith, I would pick up a book about the Bible or a devotional book to guide me through a passage each day, but I had never actually just sat down and read the Bible. 

I sat in my home one day, looked at the Bible in my hands, and prayed a prayer I believe God used to change my life. It went something like this:

“God, I commit to be a blank sheet of paper. Whatever I thought I knew about you, about me, about religion, about Christianity, about anything … I give it all back. May you fill this blank sheet of paper with what you desire for me to know. Teach me who you are.” 

God did exactly that, and honestly, I didn’t like it at first. As I read the pages of Scripture, I found that God was VERY different than I thought he was. It was confronting, confusing, and even disconcerting. Fortunately, I had a pastor along with me on the journey who graciously answered my questions along the way (something we love to do here at Crossings). 

As I worked through some of my initial struggles and began to simply surrender to my prayer, God began showing me who he truly is. I learned that his ways are definitely not my ways, his thoughts are so much higher than mine. I began to see the beauty of his wisdom and grace in the actions he took that were different from how I would have preferred to handle situations. I began to see his glory in a different light. I was humbled more than I can begin to explain. As I made my way through chapter after chapter, I discovered that I, in fact, I was not God … and he is so much greater, so much more majestic, so much more loving, so much wiser than I ever could have imagined. 

But to get there, it required me to be a blank sheet of paper, to let go of what I thought I knew, to be willing to be challenged, and to humble myself and surrender. It also required me to lean on people for help along the way and to keep going when I got to subjects and texts that confronted me, trusting that if I would keep going, God would reveal what he desired for me to understand. 

REFLECTION

Have you had this experience with God’s Word in your life? If not, are you willing to pray my prayer? Are you willing to sit with that Bible in your lap? Are you willing to be confronted? Are you willing to be surprised by the beauty and majesty of God? I encourage you to join me (and so many others) as we embark on the 2025 5-Day Bible Reading Plan with Pastor Lance Ward. We can read through the passages together, pray, and allow Lance to summarize some of the key themes each week in his podcast series. 

Be a blank sheet of paper this year; let God fill in the content. Trust me, he is so much more than you ever imagined. And he loves you more than you understand. 

Blake Bastin
Pastor, Ministry & Operations

Resources

• Download the free 5-Day Bible Reading Plan.
• Listen to the 5-Day Bible Reading Plan Podcast with Lance Ward.

Read More Devotions

Explore other devotions like this one any time at crossings.church/devotions.