If the Lord Wills

If the Lord Wills

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’ But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” Jas. 4:13-16.

Most people are so occupied with their own ideas and plans for their future that God’s will is the furthest thing from their mind. This is arrogant boasting. It takes humility to acknowledge that despite my best efforts, all the outcomes in my life are totally dependent on God and His will.

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert . . .’” Jer. 17:5-6.

When I put my trust in my own abilities, skills and talents, then my heart departs from the Lord, from the Creator who gave me those abilities. Such a person thinks he can manage things on his own and is all too willing to take the credit and boast of his success as long as things go well. But when things go better for someone else, he quickly becomes envious and bitter.

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, . . . nor will cease from yielding fruit.” Jer. 17:7-8.

The trials and tribulations of life come upon all people, regardless of who or what they believe in. But the man who trusts in the Lord and whose hope is the Lord has no need to fear. In the heat of the day and in the year of drought, he grows and flourishes and thrives. While others become anxious and discouraged under the pressure of their earthly circumstances, his roots go deeper into God. His dependency on God is strengthened, and the virtues of Christ continue to come forth, blessing and nourishing those around him. He knows that all things work together for his best, because he loves God and is called according to His purpose.

Humans desire to control their own destiny, and they seek to establish a sense of stability in their education, their careers, their finances, their health, their relationships, etc. They strive to set themselves up for a secure future here on earth, but they don’t reckon with a living God, and they don’t consider that life is just a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead of finding peace and happiness, they are consumed by the cares of this life. Even people who experience good health and material success worry that it might be taken away from them one day.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it . . . It is vain for you to rise up early . . . for so He gives His beloved sleep.” Ps. 127:1-2.

I want to acknowledge my own weakness, be preserved in low thoughts about myself and put all my confidence in God and His almighty power. 1 Pet. 5:6-7.