James 4:15
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing,
we will live and do this or that.”
We speak of “tomorrow” as if we own the deed to the sunrise. We map out our trips and mark our calendars with permanent ink, forgetting that we are but a mist that dances for a moment before the morning sun. The merchants of James’s day weren’t faulted for their industry, but for their pride. They acted as if they held the stopwatch of eternity.
Perhaps you’ve heard the old-timers say, “If the Lord is willing and the creek don’t rise.” We might chuckle at the phrasing, but there is a profound theology in that folk wisdom.
It is not necessary to say those words out loud but Christians are well served to keep them in their hearts. Our plans are not ours alone. If the Lord is willing then these things may happen.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.
Prayer. Lord, help me to hold my plans loosely and Your hand tightly, trusting that Your will is my safest harbor.