A father of a young teen approached me in the church foyer one day and relayed this story to me. His daughter and I have spent time together since she was about five years of age. He told me his daughter had recently adopted a new phrase that she had not spoken previously. When asked about plans she was making in the week, she was prefacing all her activity with "Lord willing". Her dad questioned where she had heard this expression, and she identified me as the source.
Actually, I came to embrace this surrender of my plans and declaration of God's ultimate control over my life through a dear and precious sister in the Lord who is now with Jesus. She always acknowledged holding her calendar loosely, allowing the Lord to interrupt her schedule at any time. It was not that she avoided making commitments or booking holidays or tea visits, but she continually recognized that ultimately the Lord's desires for each day would be accomplished, not necessarily her own.
These verses are in no way saying we are not to make wise decisions for the future. What James is cautioning is a presumptuous attitude that completely ignores the presence of God. A mindset that audaciously gives no regard to the Lord and His activity in our lives, is what is being condemned. Arrogance and pride are very real themes throughout the book of James, and they are so evident in this passage. The speaker is not 'suggesting' or 'considering' a venture, but with adamant self-confidence declares, "we are going", "we will stay", "we will do", and "we will make". A liberty is taken to dictate future events that the person has no power over.
I love what Spurgeon has commented on this passage of scripture: "Notice, that these people, while they thought everything was at their disposal, used everything for worldly objects. What did they say? Did they determine with each other 'We will to-day or to-morrow do such and such a thing for the glory of God, and for the extension of His kingdom'? Oh, no, there was not a word about God in it, from beginning to end!....There are two great certainties about things that shall come to pass - one that God knows, and the other is that we do not know."
Our lives are not meant for our own pleasure, but to glorify God. Our futures are unknown, and moment by moment we are invited to trust the Lord with the hours before us. Too often our self-sufficiency rises and we forget the supremacy of God over every single detail of our lives. To continually leave God out of our day-to-day affairs is practical atheism. Practical atheism does not necessarily reject God in thought, but lives without regard for Him in theory. A practical atheist can believe in God, but their behaviour gives little to no indication that He is alive.
Surrendering to God's will moment by moment and day to day acknowledges the sovereignty of God over our lives. As one writer expresses, we need to write our plans in pencil and then give God the eraser. He may not rewrite everything, especially when prayerful consideration has been given to activities prior to being recorded on our calendars. However, without God's intervention, we can waste so much of life with meaningless, inferior purposes that have no eternal value. Only God can fill our days with worth and usefulness.
"Only one life twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."
Lord willing, (and I know He is), our lives are yielding to His scheduling and God is using us for Kingdom purposes.
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