Imagine if you could read just one newspaper from one year in the future. The knowledge gleaned from just that one publication would change your life. From the Finance page you you could glean which company to put all your money in, or to sell all your investments now. From the Sports page you could find out who won this years’ national title, World Series and Super Bowl. You could make a sure bet and be set for life. From the Gossip column you would discover that most celebrities still live pointless lives. From the Politics page you would find that politicians still have not solved anything. From the World section you would know where not to plan your overseas trip to spend some of your new-found fortune, and where missions work needs the most financial support.
The problem is we can’t read next years’ paper, or even tomorrows. However, we make all sorts of plans on the assumption that we do know what will happen tomorrow. We make assumptions based upon today, but we never know when one of the 5 “D’s” might rear its ugly head. What are the 5 D’s? They are:
1. Death
2. Disease
3. Divorce
4. Disaster
5. Downturn
Any one of these things can rearrange life as we know it. There is only one being who has certain knowledge of the future, and that is God. Yet, we often neglect considering His will when making significant life decisions.
James 4:13-17 talks about the foolishness of planning without keeping God’s will at the center of all of our plans. How often do we date and marry based only on what we want without considering what God wants? We choose our college and build our career based on what we want. We make major life decisions without giving God’s will any more than passing consideration. We save and plan for retirement without seeking what God wants for the rest of our lives.
James explains why this should not be. Our plans without God are nothing more than vapor trails, a mist that appears only for a moment, and then disappears.