James 4:13–14

We are constantly encouraged to plan for the future. Whether we are looking at our family, our housing, our holidays or our pensions we are under continual pressure to make good plans. I don’t think that James was telling his readers not to do any planning, but he did want to prick the bubble of their arrogance. They thought that their life was their possession and that they could do what they liked with it. Not so, says James. The first consideration should be to discover God’s will.

This means that, when we do our planning, we should do it on our knees in prayer. Our lives are a gift from God and our families, education, talents and possessions are all part of his gracious generosity to us. In prayer we need to seek his will for the future, holding our plans in humility before him.

Seeking to know God’s will is our prime task in life. God loves us perfectly and knows us much better than we know ourselves so discovering his will is as good as life can get. In my late teens I remember struggling with that. It seemed obvious to me that I needed to make some excellent plans for my life and then seek God’s blessing on what I had decided to do. It was a real struggle giving up my personal plans – but I’m so glad that I did. God understood me so much better than I did – and he still does!

Question
Which of your life plans do you need to commit afresh to God today?

Prayer
Thank you Lord that you love me so much that you always want the best for me. Help me to seek your will first in all that I do today. Amen

Released on 5 Mar 2024