For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
Isaiah 55:9-11
Oswald Smith was fifteen years old when he responded to the gospel invitation during an R. A. Torrey revival meeting in Toronto, Canada. From that young age, he carried a deep burden to reach others with the gospel. Smith believed God was leading him to serve as a missionary, but his poor health seemed to close that door when a mission board declined his application because of his weak physical condition.
Though this was not the path Smith had expected, it was not the end of God’s plan for his life. Instead of giving up his burden for missions, he allowed God to redirect it. Smith established The People’s Church in Toronto, where he pastored for decades and later served as missions director. Under his leadership, the church sent out many of its own members as missionaries and generously supported mission work around the world. For nearly eight decades, Oswald Smith helped send others to places he could not go himself.
All of us know what it is like to expect God to lead in one direction, only to find the door closed and another path opening before us. Whether the change is large or small, our response is critical. When we remember that God’s thoughts are higher than ours and His plans are better than our own, we can walk the new path with faith and joy.Â
