If the Lord Wills
Text: James 4:13-17
Core Idea: If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this and that. Then knowing that everything we have is a gift from God, let us live every moment of our lives for His glory – trusting that what He has willed for us is good.
INTRODUCTION
Well, we are going through the Book of James – looking at different ways the gospel impacts our lives. And three Sundays ago, we learned about the danger of slander – and that it’s much more destructive and sinful than we think. Slandering doesn’t just tear people down, but it also breaks down our relationship with God. Therefore, we were called to speak the language of heaven – remembering that our words are gifts of God to do the work of God. Today, James will address something that’s unbelievably ordinary but also unbelievably life-transforming if you would just take the time to reflect on it. So, let’s do just that – let’s slow down and look to the Word so that the Spirit of God will speak to us today and awaken our souls. So, please open up your Bibles to James 4:13-17. Let me read this for us.
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.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
Let me share three things from this passage:
· THE PROBLEM
· THE SOLUTION
· THE RESPONSE
1) THE PROBLEM
Verse 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.’” At first glance, it seems like James is just describing something that everyone does on a daily basis – planning their day to be productive and effective in all that they desire to accomplish. In fact, that’s what we all do – we set goals and map out the best plans for every aspect of our lives. We calculate and design our lives so that we could build a successful career, marry the right person, parent our children well, keep ourselves healthy, come out with the biggest profit, and so on. Considering this, there seems to be nothing wrong with verse 13. But what’s surprising is that James calls this arrogant and evil in verse 16. What’s going on here? Why does James call this evil? Is he teaching us that planning is bad? Absolutely not. If he was, he could’ve just said, “Christians, never set goals. Never plan your life. Just trust God and go with the flow.” But he doesn’t say that. Instead, this is what he says in verse 15, “You ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” We’ll talk more about this in our next point but what I want to point out is this. What makes verse 13 evil in the eyes of God is not the planning itself but the fact that we make plans and forget God. It’s to just go about our days living as if God doesn’t exist. Again, this is not to say that we’re intentionally ignoring God because we don’t trust Him or because we don’t want His intervention. No, God is just absent from our minds because we’ve become so good at compartmentalizing God from the rest of our lives. Our hearts and minds may be completely saturated with God on Sunday at church but as soon as Monday hits, we live as if God has no bearing on us whatsoever. He’s completely absent from our thoughts and decisions – He is nowhere to be found until the next Sunday comes around or when we are desperately in need of something. Again, I’m not saying that we do this because we hate God. No, it’s just that the busyness of life, the pressures of life, the demands of life – they occupy our minds and push God to the periphery.
Now, let me explain why this is evil in the eyes of God – when God is forgotten, when God is absent from our minds, we get tempted to take control over our lives. We begin to rely on our own strength, wisdom, skills, and network instead of turning to God for His guidance. We begin to think that we know what’s best for us. We become arrogant when things work out the way we desired but become angry and anxious when things don’t turn out the way we planned. We become less generous and less patient because we begin to see others just as a competition or an obstacle to our plans. But worst of all, we begin to see our relationship with God as a burden because He’s not our priority – there are more urgent things that need our attention. Just two verses ago, we noted that when we judge others, when we speak evil against others, we are essentially making ourselves God – setting ourselves up as the judge, the jury, and the executioner. Now, here in verse 13, we’re doing the same thing – we’re assuming the role of God by sitting on the throne of our lives and attempting to control future events. No wonder James calls this not just foolish but also evil. Brothers and sisters, does this describe you today? In the busyness of life, have you forgotten God? Have you become so good at compartmentalizing your life so that God is removed from the rest of your life from Monday to Saturday? If so, I pray that you would have the eyes to see that this is much more destructive and sinful than you think.
In fact, in order to turn us away from this sin, James shares two realities that we ought to reflect on. First, our limitations. Verse 14, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” The truth is that we often act like we know much more than we actually know – but no matter how much information we acquire, no matter how wise we think we are, we’ll never be able to know for certain what will happen tomorrow. Sure, we can make pretty good guesses – but they are just that, predictions. We can prepare all we want. We can plan all we want. But it’s impossible to be ready for all the twists and turns that can frustrate our plans. All this to say, we don’t actually know – we can never be sure. It only takes one single day or one single event for all of our plans to dissolve permanently. Brothers and sisters, we must remember that much of our life remains to be a mystery to us – but that’s exactly what God intended for our lives. God wants our life to remain a mystery so that we may depend on Him and trust Him. Then let me ask you, “Is the uncertainty of life causing you to turn to God or make you angry? Do the unexpected troubles of life cause you to be on your knees or leave you paralyzed in worries?” Listen to what Proverbs 16:9 says, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” Or Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” These words are meant to humble us because it reminds us that we’re not infinite, we’re not all-powerful, we’re not all-knowing – only God is. Then as the Creator of the universe, as the Almighty God, His plans always trump our plans. Did you hear that? God’s plans always trump our plans. Then let me ask you, “Are you frustrated to hear this or are you comforted by this? Are you disappointed to hear this or are you filled with peace and joy?” Friends, we must remember that we are limited in our knowledge, but God is not. It may be a mystery to us but it’s not to God. He knows the future, and He knows how our story will end. No wonder it’s foolish for us to forget God.
Second, the brevity of life. Verse 14, “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James tells us that we are nothing but a mist – a vapor, a puff of smoke that appears and disappears quickly. Now, if you’re having a difficult time accepting this reality, let me just ask you, “How many of you know your grandfather’s name? How about your great-grandfather’s name or your great-great-grandfather’s name?” I’m going to assume that no one does. Then in the same way, in just 3-4 generations, no matter how much we’ve accomplished, no matter how much we do for our family, we will soon be forgotten. We are just a mist. Then how important are the words from Psalm 90:12 which says, “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Brothers and sisters, I pray that you would have the wisdom to number your days – to remember that you won’t live forever. Then in light of this reality, how will you live your life today? How will this truth impact the way you use your time? Friends, we are insignificant – apart from God, we have no hope. No wonder it’s foolish for us to forget God. Then what’s the solution? How can we avoid the temptation to forget God?
2) THE SOLUTION
Verse 15, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” What’s the difference between verses 13 and 15? It’s the addition of the phrase, “If the Lord wills.” Again, James is not opposed to having a plan for the future – he’s simply inviting the believers to humbly acknowledge their dependence on God in all that they do. In other words, it’s this willingness to submit ourselves to the will of God in all circumstances – “If the Lord wills, if the Lord approves, if the Lord favors, we will do this or that.” I often think of this in terms of open or closed hands. To hold our plans with our hands wide open means that we’re letting God decide what to do with our plans. Yes, we carry them, but we’re inviting God to either bless or take them away according to His will. And we can do this because we trust Him – because we know that He is good and wise. But to hold our plans with our hands tightly closed means that we’re not going to let anyone mess with our plans. So, if God tries to change our plans, we respond with either anger or devastation. Then let me ask you, “How are you holding your plans today? The plans and the ambitions you have for every aspect of your life – are you holding them with open hands or closed hands?” Well, James is inviting us to have a very loose grip on our plans – to acknowledge that all of our plans are ultimately subordinate to the will of God. This is the kind of attitude we must always have. This is the implication behind the phrase, “If the Lord wills.”
Now, before we move on, let me quickly point out the wrong ways of using this phrase. First, we should never use this just to appear religious and humble. For example, if a friend asks you, “Hey, can you help me move my furniture on Saturday morning?” it would be sinful for you to say, “If the Lord wills, I’ll be there” – but you actually have no intention of helping. That is detestable to God because you’re just taking His name in vain. Second, we should never use this as a magical formula to get ourselves on God’s good side. This is not a good luck charm – saying this won’t automatically cause God to bless our plans. What matters isn’t so much the frequency of saying the phrase but the disposition of our hearts – the humble attitude that acknowledges our dependence on God, our need for God, and our trust in God.
Then with that said, let me share three things that will help us cultivate this humble attitude in our planning – to have the “Lord willing” kind of heart. First, we must be convinced that God is sovereign – to remember that the future is not random but that everything happens precisely the way God desires. God says in Isaiah 46:9-10, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” Did you hear what He just said? He said that from the very beginning, even before anything was created, God knew exactly what the end will look like – which means that He knows all things in between as well. Brothers and sisters, do you believe that our God is sovereign and that He has the power and authority to do whatever He wants – to change our plans without our permission? Without this conviction, we’ll continue to be tempted to forget God in our plans.
Second, we must be able to look to the past and acknowledge that everything that has happened so far was within the will of God – and that He has done all things right. For some of us, this might not be easy because the past is filled with memories that we want to forget. It’s filled with pain and suffering – the things that make us question if God truly was in control. But if we are to say, “If the Lord wills” with humble confidence, we must be able to echo the words of Job 1:21, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.” Brothers and sisters, I pray that you would have the faith to acknowledge that God controlled every second of your past and that He did all things right because coming to grips with this reality will give you the proper frame of mind to say, “Only if the Lord wills, we will do this or that.”
Lastly, we must remember that this sovereign God loves us. We must remember that God designs all things for our good, our joy, and our sanctification because of His love for us. Let me use Paul as an example. Listen to what Acts 16:6-10 says, “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Paul was not frustrated when his plans were altered – he simply trusted God and submitted to His will. How was he able to do that? Because he was certain that God loved him. Listen to what he said in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Brothers and sisters, are you certain of His love for you?
Now, on a side note, do you know what happened when Paul got to Macedonia? As they were preaching the gospel, they were taken away by the Jewish authorities – then they were stripped naked, beaten with rods, severely flogged, and thrown into prison. If I was in Paul’s shoes, I would’ve been so upset – “God, You changed my plans for this? Why couldn’t You just let me serve in Asia? Why did You have to send me here? Don’t You see that I’m doing this for You? Why are You letting this happen?” But Paul wasn’t complaining – in fact, he was praying and singing hymns to God in prison. And of course, because of his obedience, because of his faithfulness, the Philippian jailer and his whole household came to believe God and were baptized. What do we learn from this? It’s that being in the will of God doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll be free from pain and suffering – in fact, a greater hardship may be waiting for us. But one thing’s for sure, it is good to be in the will of God. Romans 8:28 says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” If we forget that the God we worship is our heavenly Father who loves us, who is working for our good, we would be utterly destroyed when things don’t turn out the way we planned – but if we do, nothing will crush us knowing that our God will take care of us. Now, if you’re doubting His love for you today, listen to what Paul says in Romans 8:32, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” Friends, God demonstrated His love for you in the giving of His Son who died on the cross for your sins. Then I invite you to rest in Him today. Your life may feel unbearable right now, you might not really understand why God is allowing you to go through this (all the changes that you’re facing right now), you might be questioning if it’s safe to trust God with everything you have – if this is you, look to the cross and gladly accept His will for your life because you can be sure that everything is happening for His glory and your joy.
3) THE RESPONSE
Verse 17, “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” This verse actually left a lot of Christians scratching their heads because it seems irrelevant to what James has been sharing so far. It’s not easy to see the connection with the previous verses – but just because it’s hard doesn’t mean that there’s no connection. Let me explain. When I read this verse, for some reason, it reminded me of what William Wilberforce said at the end of his speech to the House of Commons – pleading with the members to join him in abolishing slavery. This is what he said, “Having heard all of this you may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say you did not know.” He said this because they now had no excuse – they couldn’t pretend not to know. Being exposed to the evil of slavery, they had no choice but to act. Then in the same way, we could’ve been blinded from the fact that we were so good at compartmentalizing God from the rest of our lives – to forget God and just go on with our lives. Again, no one did this as a way of rebelling against God – it just happened because life got busy and burdensome. But James is basically telling us, “Now that you know the danger of forgetting God, the evil of forgetting God, you can never again say you didn’t know. So, if you know how important it is to be utterly dependent on God, do just that – because having no response would be to sin against God.”
Then what are some practical ways to respond to this truth? First, begin each day acknowledging your dependence on God. So, tomorrow morning, rather than stumbling through the predictable process of waking each day (maybe checking our phones, making coffee, or stretching), rather than letting our minds wander off to complaints or worries about the day, let us intentionally, actively set the tone for our day by acknowledging our need for God and our desire to do the will of God. We don’t need an hour to do this – we could just spend a minute or two saying something like this, “Thank You God for another day that You have gifted to me. Help me not to be distracted by the busyness of my schedule today that I forget You. Help me not to depend on my own strength when I’m bombarded by the demands of life. And help me to turn to You when my plans get changed – to know that You’re in complete control over my life. Lord willing, may I do this and that for Your glory today.” That’s all we need to do. But doing this every day will not only cultivate this humility in our hearts but it’ll also guard our hearts from falling into the temptation of forgetting God the rest of the day.
Second, memorize Bible verses. If we want to remain in the will of God throughout the day, it’s important that we remain in the Word. But we don’t have the time to read the Bible every second of our lives. So, we should engrave the Word into our minds by memorizing them. Now, I think this is a spiritual discipline that’s not talked about enough these days. In fact, I think we’ve lost the art of memorizing because everything is so readily accessible. But I want to invite you to reconsider this because memorizing the Scriptures is the best way to remain in the will of God throughout the day. David Mathis said, “When we memorize lines from the Bible, we are shaping our minds in the moment to mimic the structure and mind-set of the mind of God. Good theology forms our minds in a general way to think God’s thoughts after Him. But memorized Scripture molds our minds to mimic the folds and creases in the mind of God.” So, where do we start? Start with the passages or verses that have impacted you greatly because it’ll be easier to take the Word to your heart. In fact, do this with others because it’s always more difficult to do this alone.
Lastly, cultivate a habit to stop and pray when things don’t turn out the way you had planned. It’s easy for us to grumble, blame, and get angry when our plans get ruined. That’s me – I’m so meticulous with my plans that when things don’t work out the way I wanted, I make it so obvious that I’m not happy. So, if you’re like me, we need to learn to stop (before our emotions get the best of us) and pray. Charles Bridges said, “Ever plan for yourself in simple dependence on God. It is nothing less than self‐idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the ordinary matters of the day without His counsel. He loves to be consulted.” Think about that last statement – “He loves to be consulted.” Brothers and sisters, God wants us to consult Him when things don’t work out the way we wanted. He loves it when we come to Him. And when we do, He’ll give us the wisdom we need to think of other plans or give us the faith we need to trust Him – to know that what’s unfolding before us is good. So, let’s continue to develop the habit of praying when our plans get ruined because it’ll guard us from falling into other sins and help us reorient our hearts to His will.
Now, let me leave you with this one final thought. The Bible tells us that there was a Man who travelled with a definite plan. He knew exactly where He was headed (Jerusalem), when He was to get there, and what to do when He got there. But unlike the person James mentioned in verse 13, this Man didn’t travel there to make money – He travelled there to spend everything He had. In fact, it would cost Him everything including His very life. So, knowing this, He was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death – in fact, Luke 22:44 says, “Being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” But despite this fear, listen to the way He prayed in Luke 22:42, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me – yet not My will, but Yours be done.” And that’s exactly what He did. He went into Jerusalem and gave Himself away to redeem His people back with the price of His blood on the cross. He died so that we can have life – so that our stories would not end in death but continue in eternity with Him. Who is this Man? His name is Jesus. With every word and every thought, with every action and every choice He made, He was perfectly submissive to God. But I want you to know that every act of His submission was for you – so that you won’t be forgotten but remembered forever. Then in light of His love, let’s humble ourselves and remember Him – the Author and Perfecter of our faith.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, if it’s the Lord’s will, we will live and do this and that. Then knowing that everything we have is a gift from God, let us live every moment of our lives for His glory – trusting that what He has willed for us is good.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) What’s the problem that James addresses in verse 13? What’s so evil about this (verse 16)?
2) In verse 14, James reminds us of our limitations and the brevity of our life. How does this change the way we view and live our lives?
3) What are some signs that show we’re leaning on ourselves more than God? What are some ways we can lean on God as we plan for tomorrow? How do we grow in our dependence on God?