“Lord Willing”

By David J. Stewart

James 4:13-16, “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is EVIL.”

       Life is so short. The Bible reminds us that our life is as a vapor that appears for a moment and then vanishes away. This temporary life cannot even be compared to the endlessness of eternity. Think about that.

The Bible teaches in James 4:16 that it is evil to boast of future plans without taking into consideration that our life is in God's hands. “...the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified” (Daniel 5:23).

We have no guarantee of tomorrow. We could be dead by sunset. Everything that we plan on doing in the future should be preceded by the statement, “Lord willing.” Lord willing we will do this, or that, or another. Lord willing we will go, or stay, or perish. Ultimately it is God's decision; not ours.

Our earthly life is as a dandelion, which is colorfully displayed in a field one day and withered away the next. 1st Peter 1:24, “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away.”

May we all have the attitude, “Lord willing,” for we know not what will happen tomorrow. Proverb 27:1, “Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”


Ye Must Be Born Again!