Trust His Plans

Daily Devotional - 26 August 2020

“Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.’ Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil” (James 4:13-16).

What do you do in the face of the unexpected? Truth be told, James tells us that we should never get comfortable in our expectations–which can all change in a moment’s notice. COVID-19 should have taught us all that, with its seemingly endless reminders. We are not in control. And if we can’t even control a little thing like a virus, it really is nonsensical to think that we truly control anything outside of our ability to determine our emotional response to the ever-changing uncertainties of this life.

How often has it happened, that just when we get comfortable, the proverbial rug is ripped out from under our feet. Many things should caution us against getting overly confident in our plans, aside from pandemics–illness, change in financial situation, natural disaster, unexpected pregnancy and even death...obviously this list could be far bigger! So what’s to be done–no one can live in a state of never-ending uncertainty? We’d go crazy! The answer is to find your certainty, purpose and direction in the only stability that this universe offers–a relationship with God.

The Bible assures us that we can “Trust the Lord with our whole being; don’t rely on your own limited understanding and resources. In all aspects of your life recognize His authority, and He will show you which paths are best to follow” (Proverbs 3:5-6, my paraphrase). There’s nothing God doesn’t know, nothing He is powerless to change, no place that He is not permitted to go...but best of all, as the source of love, His plans are set for our good and for the betterment of this entire world and the people who call it home. We need to remember that our plans and expectations are never foolproof and are therefore, unreliable. God is wholly trustworthy–so place your confidence in Him–and discover the only source of assurance that is available to us in this life!
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I realize that for those who have never experienced a relationship with God this may sound like complete rubbish–I’m just using the idea of God as an emotional ‘crutch.’ However, I know that I don’t stand alone in my experience. We can talk about how wonderful it is, but only those who have experienced a relationship with Jesus can understand and attest to the truth of what I say. I would challenge anyone reading this devotional to not reject it out of hand; the truth is there for anyone who asks for it.
~ Pastor Jane