“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9
In Jesus' interactions with people, He did not develop a predictable pattern. In His healing, sometimes He would touch a person, sometimes not. He might speak to one, but say very little to another. John 9:6 records how He even spat on the ground, made mud from His spittle, rubbed it into a blind man's eyes and healed him.
After an exhausting night of fishing and catching nothing, Jesus told Simon Peter to go into the deep again. He went reluctantly and along with his partners, caught so many fish their nets began to break and their boats began to sink (Luke 5:47). Matthew’s Gospel records two separate occasions of the disciples in a boat, caught in a violent storm. On the first occasion, Jesus was sleeping in the boat when, afraid for their lives, the disciples woke Him. He immediately calmed the storm, and they were astonished at how even the wind and the waves obeyed Him (Matthew 8:23-27). The second time, the disciples were terrified at what they thought was a ghost walking on water towards them. Jesus called out to them, “Take courage! It is I.” On this occasion, Peter stepped out of the boat and trusting Jesus, actually walked on water (Matthew 14:22-32).
When Jesus asked His disciples where they were going to buy bread for a crowd of 5,000 men, plus their families, they were at loss, but then witnessed the incredible miracle of Jesus feeding everyone to overflowing with two small fish and five small barley loaves (John 6:5-10). John 11 records Jesus being summoned to His close friend, Lazarus, who was deathly ill. His disciples were dismayed that He deliberately delayed His coming, but Jesus kept them on their toes with His unpredictability.
The disciples had yet to learn to put their faith and confidence, not in what Jesus did, but in Jesus Himself. The Christian life is lived in relationship with Jesus, but we must never put Him inside a box of our own expectations. There are no methodologies, techniques or formulas to the way Christ operates. God tells us His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts. They are so much higher than we can fathom, and we need to trust Him for that.
We are not encouraged to have faith for some desired end of our own choosing, but faith in Christ for whatever He wants to do. As we abide in Christ and remain on His agenda, we come to learn that we can expect the unexpected! This is part of the thrill and adventure of the Christian life. Jesus will again and again leave us in awe of Him.
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