Folk Spiritual
The Ways of God Are Higher
Words: Ryan Daniel Cornett
Music: Ryan Daniel Cornett
Tune: HIGHER WAYS
Meter: Irregular
Stanza 1
The One whose voice affixed the skies
Has to our cry awoken;
The summits fall and valleys rise,
The Lord of Hosts has spoken.
Refrain
High above the lofty mountains,
Far beyond the starry heavens:
Incomparable, unsearchable,
The ways of God are higher.
Stanza 2
Like rain and snow from clouds are hurled,
The Word of God descending
Will prosper over all the world,
Until He speaks its ending.
Stanza 3
No vicious plot nor evil hand
Can ever thwart His purpose;
The righteous, like a tower, stand
Because our God is for us.
Stanza 4
Forsake your ways, O foolish one,
Your wicked thoughts, abandon;
As swiftly as the rivers run,
Come, lift your eyes to Zion.
About the song
Drawing especially from Isaiah 55, this hymn celebrates God's supremacy over creation and the schemes of wicked men while calling sinners to forsake their ways and seek His abundant mercy.
Themes
Scripture references
Isaiah 40:3-5; Isaiah 46:9-11; Isaiah 55:6-11; Psalm 33:6-11; Psalm 46:1-7; Psalm 97:1-6; Psalm 115:3; Psalm 135:6; Proverbs 19:21; Proverbs 21:30; Romans 8:31; Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 1:11; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Peter 3:7-13