Wisdom: Trust God with Your Future and Plans (James 4:13-17)

As I write this at the end of 2020, I am reminded that we are too aware of the truth of this passage. And yet, we are still a culture that wants to plan things out to an unhealthy degree. Even in Christian organizations, we have adopted the fiver-year plan that is the standard of industry. It is a bit arrogant to think we can know enough about the next year, let alone five, to plan out our lives. 

Planning in and of itself is not bad. But true, spiritual wisdom reminds us to make our plans with a flexibility in mind. We need to keep God and His plans in mind when we are preparing for our future. We should prepare to do “the right thing to do,” but also be prepared for when God changes our circumstances. 

And, when God does change our circumstances, we can have confidence that His plans are far better than our own. So, if we occasionally get locked down in a once-in-a-century pandemic, we need to ask ourselves: “What is God doing?” and “What is our part in His plan?”