Tomorrow

November 15

Ezekiel 37-38

Psalm 121

Proverbs 27:15-16

James 4:13-17

Tomorrow

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’  Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.’  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance.  All such boasting is evil.  Therefore, to one who knows to do the right thing and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  James 4:13-17 LSB

Today’s passage reminds us of the uncertainty of life.  The longer I live, the more I realize just how accurate it is.  We have no idea what tomorrow holds.  Accidents, a sudden health crisis, a scary diagnosis, natural disasters, job loss, financial crisis, death of a loved one, I could go on and on, can turn our world upside down with no notice.  One day everything can be great and the next we can be on our knees in despair.  Life is fragile.  Children sometimes get cancer.  People die in car accidents.  Earthquakes and tornados destroy what we have worked hard to build.  Life is not fair.  This passage is not suggesting that we shouldn’t make any plans because we can’t definitively know what will happen tomorrow or next week or next year.  James was wisely explaining that the brevity and uncertainty of life should make us humble and change our perspective.  Instead of making plans thinking we have it all figured out because we are in control, we should understand that God is sovereign and our lives are in His hands.  Our plans are contingent on His will and approval. 

In western culture, we are taught from an early age that the goal in life is to be self-sufficient and independent.   One of the goals of parenting is to raise children who are able to support themselves when they reach adulthood.  We spend a lot of money preparing them through education, extracurricular activities, sports, etc. to be able to get a good job and move out of our house.  That isn’t a bad thing, but there is a difference in being independent from parents and thinking you are self-sufficient and don’t need any help.  It is important as parents that we teach them to “adult” and at the same time instill in them that they are completely dependent on God.  There is never a time when we don’t need to rely on Him for everything.  The wisest people recognize that true success comes from seeking God in every area of our lives.  We cannot know what tomorrow holds, but He does.  We cannot prepare for everything that may happen in our future, but God can prepare us.  He can lead and guide us today to make decisions that will help us tomorrow, even if we don’t always understand or recognize what He is doing.  “The heart of a man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”  Proverbs 16:9 ESV