All of us have hopes, dreams, and
plans for the future, and our faith in God encourages us to look to tomorrow
with bright expectation. James is not opposed to hoping or planning. All he
wants to do is to hold our plans loosely so that our goals don’t replace what
God is doing in our lives (James 4:13-16).
Let’s face it; many of us are
control freaks. We want to make things manageable and orderly. This is an understandable
need, and it can even be a good thing (1Thess.4:11, 1Pet.2:12). But we need to
submit all our plans to the will of God.
One image that appears throughout
the Bible portrays humans as clay in the hands of the Divine Potter (Isai.64:8,
1Cor.12:15-18). The point of these passages is that we need to let God do what
He wants us instead of molding our lives into the shape we think best.
The nice thing about realizing that
God is in charge is that we will experience tremendous peace. Instead of
wondering or worrying about every little detail of our lives, we can rest in
his love and care. That doesn’t mean life will always turn out the way we want
it to, but that’s all right. Who knows best what we should do; us or the
Creator and Ruler of the Universe?
There will be times when it seems
that what’s happening to us is unfair or even absurd. But God is in charge, and
if we don’t presume to tell Him what’s best for us, we can humbly accept His
guidance and rest in the results, whatever they are.
