Trusting God in the Unknown

By Dean Collins

The older you get, the more clearly you understand the message of James 4:13-17. 

A few chapters into the book of Acts, we read that as tensions rose for believers in Jerusalem, the believers began to spread out to avoid persecution. As they moved to other regions, there wasn’t a lot of time for planning. Many families just had to uproot and start over.

We have all been in that situation before, where a sudden job loss, an unexpected illness, some local or national tragedy prompted a quick change of plans, maybe even a relocation. When there is urgency, we tend to trust the Lord to get us through and take the next step in front of us.

As the early church moved quickly to new cities, the gospel was also spreading rapidly in different geographic locations. Sometimes a crisis becomes the catalyst for good things. And sometimes the more comfortable we get with our situation, the less we rely on God and the more we begin to rely on self. If you have a little success with your plan, before you know it, you might think you don’t really need to bother God with all your plans. You can just save the bigger ones for him.

James speaks to all these tendencies when he warns us about making plans without giving thought to the importance of praying before we jump into action. James makes it simple concerning what we do and don’t know.

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. We don’t really know what the next minute will bring. James also reminds us about the brevity of life: “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” As I stated in my opening sentence, the older you get, the more you realize just how fast time really does fly. As we age, we tend to focus more on enjoying the moments we have with friends and family. We also realize that we should focus on doing the kingdom work God has given us to do in our families, at our places of employment, and in God’s kingdom.

While we don’t want to be arrogant, thinking we can just do whatever we want without including God, we also don’t want to panic about today or tomorrow and what might happen next. The apostle Paul was quite clear that we are not to be anxious about anything but to pray about everything.

The wisdom of James reminds us that it is not just the big things that we must bring to God. It is everything. So, whether you are considering taking on a new project, an investment, or simply planning out the routine tasks of the day, it is wise to first pause and ask God for the wisdom we need to face whatever he has planned for us today. When we focus on God and his plans, we will find ourselves less anxious and more confident that God will order our steps.

Father, every day that passes we realize how short our time on earth really is. Thank you for the blessing of simply being alive today. We ask that you give us wisdom for the things that are ahead of us today. Help us to see you at work in us and around us so that we might join you in extending your love to those around us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
James 4:13-17; Philippians 4:6 ESV

Photo by Bryce Barker on Unsplash
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