James 4:13-15
And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
If my grandmother lives to November 5th, we will celebrate her 100th birthday. I’ve begun to make plans… reserved the parlor at her assisted living facility, sent in the forms to Willard Scott for recognition on the TODAY show, and started thinking about refreshments and who to invite. At the same time, I am well aware that a LOT can happen in fifty-two days – especially when you are 99 and in declining health. So I preface all statements about future events with regard to my Mam-ma Polly with the word “if.”
I’ve also learned that any and all plans are subject to change. People get sick, accidents happen, events beyond our control occur… and our course is revised. Sometimes these are momentary setbacks… sometimes the result of the alteration is permanent. Many probably thought Hurricane Katrina would blow through and change things for a few days – or possibly weeks. No one knew that, in some ways, all of our lives would be forever altered by this natural disaster. We could not predict that terrorists would fly planes into the Twin Towers on a beautiful September morning eleven years ago and alter life for millions of people worldwide.
My friend had no clue that a visit to the doctor to investigate her husband’s headaches would result in a diagnosis of a cancerous – and virtually incurable – brain tumor. A young man who got caught in a 40+-car pileup on his way to work one icy, foggy morning last fall in Tennessee did not know that his life was over… his one-month marriage finished…that his destiny was heaven instead of his place of work.
Please understand that this is not meant to be a “bad news” message. More importantly, do not for one minute think that I am saying that God caused any of these events. But I know that He used them, because God never wastes an opportunity to work in and through His people. I am not telling you to stop making plans… to forget goals and aspirations. I am just reminding you that we are not in charge… and every plan we make is subject to change. We must learn to plan with God in mind. We must focus on expecting God to chart our course… and to guide us as we make our plans.
We must develop such a close relationship with God that we know for certain when HE is the one trying to alter our course… and when we are listening to the devil. And we must be very careful not to blame Satan when God says, “You’re on the wrong path.” “The devil did this,” is not a good excuse – or an “out” when things don’t go our way! We must trust that any alterations God allows in our plans are for our benefit…and we must be ready and willing to say, “Okay, LORD… which way do I go now?”
Will the devil try to trip you up? Absolutely – and often! Will you know the difference between his interference and a change in course designed or allowed by God? I surely hope so! Are you prepared to let God to chart your path… to guide your plans according to His perfect will? More importantly, will you accept God’s modifications with a glad heart and complete faith that plans are perfect? Do you get it that every minute of our life is like a wispy fog… here one minute and gone the next… but that God’s love and care – and His plans for us – endure forever?
Prayerfully – and carefully – plot a course for your life. Make every effort to stay attuned to God’s will and His design for each step you take. Live deliberately... don't put off telling others you love them, "mending fences," or fulfilling obligations. If you feel that God has told you something is important enough to incorporate into your plans, the phrase "I'll do it later" should not be uttered. Learn to tell the difference between the devil’s efforts to trip you up and a bona fide change in course delivered by God.
Live in the faith and confidence of knowing that you are obediently operating in God’s will for your life, and that He will never desert you… never allow more than you can handle with His help. When changes in your plans happen, stop and ask Him, “Which way now, LORD?” – and mean it!
©2012 Debbie Robus
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