Understanding God’s nature and how He works to produce righteousness in nations, as well as in individuals, helps the seeker understand how God will work in his/her life. God said, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT) In our relationship with God, His purpose is to conform us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). So, just as God worked in the nation of Israel, in the same way He will work in our lives. We want our conformity to Christ’s image to happen without suffering, pain, or sacrifice on our part. But God’s design includes suffering and loss because He does things His way and His way is perfect. Jesus, Himself, learned obedience through the things that He suffered (Heb. 5:8).