March 27, 2020
John C. Kwasny
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)
Full disclosure: I don’t like these verses. I don’t like them at all. As someone who lacks the gift of spontaneity, and believes planning is next to cleanliness (and godliness), James’ words are ones I’d rather avoid. But, alas, this is the Word of God, not some lackadaisical thoughts from an anti-planning man. Under the inspiration of the Spirit, James confronts the ancient merchants who were making their business plans for the future. These folks were looking at the best markets to sell their wares, seeking the greatest profits possible. While this is capitalism at its best, it is also Christianity at its worst. In no way were these planners seeking the Lord’s will--they were simply using their own brains (and lessons they probably learned in business school).
So James brings the hammer down on their (and our) hearts with two radical truths: 1) You have no idea what tomorrow brings (much less next week, month, or year); and, 2) You are nothing but a mist that will vanish in a little while. Thanks, James, for building our self-esteems! In all seriousness, thank you, God’s Word, for humbling us with these vital truths. At all times, but especially during this current international crisis, we need these verses tattooed on our hearts and minds. Why? Because our natural inclination is to make plans according to our own desires and interests. Because our normal impulse is to forget that we are mist that only appears for a short time. Let these truths wash over your minds to bring you peace. After all, if you don’t know about tomorrow, and you are just temporary in this world, you can spend less time trying to be God and more time resting in the One who alone knows tomorrow--and is permanent!
Thankfully, James doesn’t just tell us how we ought NOT to think about today or tomorrow, but how we must think (and what we should say). As Luke 6:45 reminds us, out of the abundance of the mouth his heart speaks. Our hearts and minds (and words) must be corrected to always see and speak of life in context of the Lord’s will, not ours. If the Lord wills…then we will do this or that. If the Lord wills…our plans will actually come to pass. If the Lord wills…then we will live today and tomorrow. This heart attitude is more than a reluctant acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty. It is the joyful recognition that, if the Lord wills, then “it” will happen! Why would the Christian want anything less than the Lord’s will? Do we secretly believe that our will, our plans, our desires, are much better than the Lord’s? Do we fear that God is unloving, unconcerned, or disinterested in our mist-like lives? Or, are we simply more focused on what we want--when we want it--than what He wants?
We want the virus eradicated yesterday. We want our friends and loved ones to be untouched, or at least survive this pandemic. We want our jobs and incomes to be guaranteed throughout this crisis. We want our thriving economy back. We want to be at church, with our friends, at school—free to gather in large groups again. We don’t want our lives to change. But, what does the Lord will? What are his foreordained plans for this time in human history? He’s not scrambling to figure this thing out! He’s not social distancing from us in order not to catch it. He’s not using the data and crunching the numbers in order to make a plan. His will WILL be done. That fact leaves just one question for you and me: Will we humbly and joyfully acknowledge the Lord’s will while we make our plans for today, tomorrow, next week and next year? May we all say to one another “if the Lord wills” because our hearts truly rest in the Lord’s will for this virus and for the entirety of our lives!