Many of us have calendars or day planners. Some of them simply have lines and grids which we fill in with our plans. Some are more sophisticated; they can be set to speak out loud and alert us to a meeting at 11:00 or an appointment at 2:30. But whether or not we use a calendar, we all talk about the future. James tells us that there are two basic voices from mortal man. One says, “I will...” The other says, “If the Lord will...” The first voice is one of presumption; the second is one of faith.

“I Will”⤒🔗

Our attitude toward the future is a good barometer of the level of our worldliness. How does the worldly person think about the future? We can boil it down to two words: “I will.” James says, “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go ... continue ... buy ... sell ... get gain” (v. 13). The worldly person is confident about what he will do in a future which is not his to claim.

Only God is eternal and unchangeable. He alone is without beginning and without end. And yet, mortal man speaks and thinks as if he possessed those attributes. We see this frequently in Scripture. The rich fool said, “I will pull down my barns and build greater” (Luke 12:18). The Babylonian king said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven” (Isa. 14:13). Pharaoh said, “I will pursue, I will overtake” (Ex. 15:9). But in each case, God answered, “You will not.”

When we take a closer look at James 4:13, we hear the voice of a worldly person as he speaks about the future. If we analyze his speech carefully, we notice that he makes all sorts of presumptions. He presumes:

1. That there will be a tomorrow;
2. That he will be alive and healthy today and tomorrow;
3. That he will be able to travel safely to a city where he will do business;
4. That he will be safe and healthy throughout the coming year;
5. That he will be able to acquire and sell goods;
6. That his transactions will bring him a surplus or profit.

How many of our calendars are summed up by the attitude portrayed in James 4:13? How many investment portfolios reflect the mentality of James 4:13? How many business forecasts could be taken straight out of James 4:13? This is the mentality that keeps our societies buzz­ing with excitement and energy. Success gurus tell us to think positively and envision ourselves accomplishing all the things we would like to do.

Nevertheless, it is mere presumption. Only the eternal God can speak an immutable “I will.” The Lord says in Isa­iah, “Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it” (Isa. 46:11). In fact, Scripture reveals about the Lord that He does all that He purposed to do. Let’s not act as if we can be like God. Let’s not imagine that we can accomplish everything that we plan.

“Ye Know Not”←⤒🔗

James responds to this presumptive attitude with these words: “Ye know not.” Man says, “Today or tomorrow, I will...” James reminds him that he doesn’t know the first thing about tomorrow.

Since we lost the true knowledge of God, ourselves, and this world with the fall into sin, we have been grossly ignorant of all kinds of things. We need the Spirit of God to wield the Word of God and begin to unmask our igno­rance. We might not like being faced with it, but it can be beneficial. Even in an area such as planning for the future, we can be stopped in the tracks of our own planning and instead learn to rely on God’s knowledge of the future.

How often have we gone into a day filled with “I wills,” and been stopped with the reality that we don’t know the future. Some unexpected event, some surprising twist in providence, a sudden phone call, and our ignorance is exposed. We say to each other, “I never expected this to happen. I never would have thought today would have turned out like this.”

The limitation of our knowledge is closely connected with the other limitations we have as human beings. We are mortal creatures. While God is eternal, we are tran­sient. Our life is best compared to a vapor or a cloud, which is there one day and gone the next. In the book of Ecclesiastes, this same comparison is made. There we read that all is vanity. The Hebrew word, translated “vanity,” literally means “vapor.” You can’t clutch onto vapor and hold it.

Spurgeon writes, “We cannot reckon upon the clouds, their laws are so variable, and their conditions so obscure. Such also is our life ... Why do we choose to build upon clouds, and pile our palaces on vapour, to see them melt away, as aforetime they have often melted?”

“If the Lord Will”←⤒🔗

If we have no real knowledge of what the future might bring, does this mean that there is no use whatsoever in planning for it? Is there no place for weekly planners or retirement accounts? A cynical person might feel that way. However, Scripture does not suggest an attitude of negligence about the future. It is very explicit about what we must do: “For that ye ought to say, If the LORD will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:15). Here James shows us the proper and necessary attitude of the Christian.

It is still common in our circles to use the acro­nym “D.V.” behind dates of planned activities. This, of course, stands for the Latin “Deo Volente” (the Lord willing). When used meaningfully, it expresses the thought that our plans are contingent upon the permission and blessing of the Lord. Some do not care for this acronym. Spurgeon, for one, wrote, “You know, it is a fine thing when you can put your religion into Latin, and make it very short. Then nobody knows what you mean by it; or, if they do, they can praise your scholarship, and admire your humility.” His point is well-taken. We do not fulfill the intent of James 4:15 simply by using the letters behind events we plan. How then must we fulfill James 4:15? What do we actually mean when we meaningfully use “D.V.” in the right spirit?

We must cancel out our own will in the sense that we no longer presume upon it. Our own will is unable to perform the least thing when God’s providence forbids it.

We must submit ourselves to the will of God. His will determines every circumstance of our lives. We must be content with what He wills for us. Remember, His will is perfect (Rom. 12:2)!

We must obey His revealed will as we find it in Scrip­ture. We can only rightly do this through faith in Jesus. He did not seek His own will, but the will of His Father who had sent Him (see John 5:30).

We should adore Him as God. Aren’t His decrees and the power with which He carries them out worthy of our praise and admiration?

We must cherish each moment of life as a gift of God. Life is not the sum of the actions we perform or the gains we make. James 4:15 says, “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do.” It is as if God is saying that our life itself has value, apart from anything we do. This thought should lead us to appreciate each day as He gives it to us.

Study Questions:←⤒🔗

1. Find other passages in the Bible that speak about life as transient and vaporous.
2. How can “God willing” become more than just words?
3. How can we show submission to the will of God? Suggest some practical attitudes or actions.
4. Read Jacob’s words in Genesis 28:20-21. How do they mesh with James 4:15?
5. Why is it sometimes so hard to submit to God’s will as it is revealed in the providence of our lives?