Reading: James 4:13-17
Speaker: Paul McCabe
Thoughts on Wise Living
Mentsch tracht, Gott lacht.
Man plans, God laughs.
This old Yiddish proverb does not quote Scripture, but it sees the futility of rigid human planning versus the mystery of God’s divine will. Despite what often feels like meticulous preparation by individuals, cities, or even nations, God’s higher purpose always dictates the outcome. To expect anything else is not just foolish; it is sinful.
We keep seeing links between James and Proverbs, so look for a second at Proverbs 16:9, which says: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” James goes a step further than Proverbs and certainly further than the jovial Yiddish proverb above. He warns that if you do not submit to God’s unknown will, “you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil” (4:16). Trust James to not hold back.
If James is teaching me anything, it is that I need inspired wisdom more than I thought. I need to submit to Scripture and bow the knee to God, as ignoring heavenly wisdom is not just foolish but, as verse 16 says, it is evil.
We all walk a tightrope. We balance and sway between human delusions of grandeur and the confusing (but comforting) fact that God’s divine plan is better. We sign on the dotted line or move to a new city, then war breaks out halfway across the world and all bets are off. Interest rates climb, energy bills skyrocket, and our best intentions crumble. Our one, five, or ten-year plans become “like the morning fog – it’s here a little while, then it’s gone” (James 4:14).
My family are recent arrival in Somerset. We saw tides turning in America, decided to sell (almost) everything we had, pay hefty fees, fly across the ocean, and purchase our forever home in the picturesque shadow of Exmoor. Did we know precisely what it would take to get us here? Absolutely not. It has been harder than expected, but I dare say we knew the folly of human planning past a certain point. There would always be road bumps, but we left those to the Lord.
I want control. I want to seize the reins, steer the rudder, pull the strings, or whatever other analogy you may prefer. Does God let me? Does He hand me the wheel and say: “Over to you. You clearly know best”? Of course not, and thank God for that! James knew we have one captain and He is Christ. Talking of America, it may have flaws, but it gets one thing right by printing on its money: “In God we trust.” When we do the same, we remember what we ought to do and do it, and this, more than anything, would make James proud.