MONDAY
This week we are continuing on in our campaign called “The Things We Say.” In this campaign we are looking at phrases that should season the vocabulary of Christians. This week our phrase is, “If the Lord wills.” James teaches us to say this in chapter 4 of his epistle.
James 4:13–17 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
Here James is specifically talking to the middle class merchants in the church. Unlike today, business couldn’t be conducted online or over the phone. Merchants would travel from city to city buying and selling their wares. This obviously required planning as it does today. James rebukes the believing merchants for the disposition of their hearts in this planning.
Making these plans without factoring in the will of God reveals their boasting and arrogance. Instead they should say, “If the Lord wills,” before establishing their plains. There are a couple of important points we must make on this text before we proceed further.
First, James is more interested in the pride of heart underneath the statement. Again, as Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matt. 12:34) James reminds us of this when he says that the tongue is a small fire that can set the whole of life on fire. (Jam. 3:6) Planning without factoring in the will of God reveals selfish ambition. Where selfish ambition and envy exist, “there you find disorder and every evil practice.” (Jam. 3:16) This posture of heart that plans and pursues dreams with no regard for the sovereignty of God is sinful (v. 17). While this last statement may seem a little out of place, verse 17 is a broader proverb that speaks to the nature of sin. It’s not just violations of the law in our actions, but can also include our inaction when we know what we ought to do. This applies here, as the merchants know they ought to commit their plans to the Lord and surrender them to his sovereignty, but they are not.
Second, it’s important to note that this does not negate planning. It’s easy to see how we could interpret this to mean that we should wait to hear the voice of the Lord before doing anything. This would lead us to be mostly frozen regarding most decisions in our lives. James isn’t saying not to plan. He is saying not to plan without submitting to the will of the Lord.
What does this look like in practicality? First, we must consult the Lord in our decisions, especially the big decisions that influence the broad trajectory of our lives. We must carve out time to pray and listen for the Lord. God can speak to us in many ways: a voice, a dream, a section of Scripture coming to mind, a word given to us, a strong emotion or sense, a word from brother or sister in Christ, etc. Often times we don’t have a strong sense of what God is saying to do. In those cases we should, first, exercise patience. God’s timing isn’t ours and we often demand God answer us on our schedules instead of His. I think we often proceed with our decisions too quickly without leaving time for God to speak. Yet, when we’ve waited and sought the Lord and we still don’t have an answer, I think it is okay to continue on with our plans that are in line with a previous call of the Lord or what He has generally called us to in Scripture. However, as we proceed we must continue seeking and submitting to the will of the Lord. We must always allow space for God to change our plans. My dad would always say that he is picking his foot up to take a step in the direction he thinks God is calling him, but praying all along that God would put his foot down in a different direction if He wills. Along the way, if we are seeking his will, humbly submitted to him, and eager to do his will, I am confident that he will redirect us if we are moving outside of his will.
Therefore, we should consult the Lord before making decisions, but we should also listen and submit to the Lord as we are going about our business. God may very well change our plans as we are moving forward. Again, this is a statement about the disposition of our hearts—are we surrendered to the will of the Lord or are we stubbornly determined to accomplish our ambitions with no regard for God’s will? James is saying that we can plan (”do this or that”) but we must always submit those plans to the Lord, recognizing that it is only by his grace that we live tomorrow, and allowing him room to change our plans. Blomberg and Kamell summarize the meaning of this passage in their commentary:
“Christians should not plan for the future as if they are in complete control of their own lives but should consistently make a healthy allowance for God’s sovereignty. Awareness of this principle makes failure to implement it all the more culpable.”
And on how it doesn’t negate planning:
“It is important to stress that the proper attitude James enjoins does not exclude planning; instead it demands that one submit to God’s will during and after one’s planning, “recognizing both human finiteness and divine sovereignty”.
We will talk more about the will of God tomorrow.
In verse 14 James teaches us the ridiculousness of making plans without factoring in the will of the Lord. We don’t even know what will happen tomorrow. We are not guaranteed life tomorrow! It is only by the will of the Lord that we will live, much less that we will do this or that tomorrow. This humbles us. As we’ve already talked about in this campaign, we desperately need God. We need him for everything, including His grace that we will live and continue breathing tomorrow. How arrogant to make long term plans without the admittance of God’s will that either establishes or denies those plans.
Reflection
Reflect on your plans for the future. Some of you may have detailed 5, 10, 30 year plans for your life. Some of you may just have a fuzzy concept of what you hope those years will look like. Either way, have you submitted those plans to the will of the Lord? Is the ultimate desire of your heart to do God’s will or to achieve your goals? Take a moment and submit those plans to the Lord and commit to reminding yourself when you talk about them to include the phrase, “If the Lord wills.” Including this phrase will help to steer your heart in the right direction—towards the will of the Lord.