James 4:13-16 - Planning (Devotions)

Someone asked my wife what she looked forward to, once the pandemic subsides. "Planning," she said. Planning the next vacation, the next shopping trip, the next date or outing. Right now, no one can plan much of anything, other than a quick run to the grocery store. Or, if one is fortunate enough to work, what jobs need to get done... safely.

My great grandparents raised eleven children in a two-room house (more like a cabin) in Sweden; the kids had to leave home after sixth grade to find a job. They would definitely be "below poverty level" by US standards today.

One day, great grandpa came home without wearing his one hat. "Per Johan, where's your hat?" his wife asked. "I met a man who needed it more than I did... but God will provide." And the next morning a hat was on the front doorstep. Per Johan Svensson was a man who would often say, "Om Jag lever, och Gud vill."  ...If I live, and God wills.

It comes from
James 4:13–16 (NASB95) — 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 

Whether in the middle of a pandemic or not, whether we have the freedom to plan our next vacation or next date, we still have to say, "Om Jag lever, och Gud vill"...
If I live, and God wills....

And so we pray:
God, forgive our presumption when we think we can control the life around us.
Even though our planning is limited now, give us the grace to commit the smallest plans to you.
If we live, and it's Your will, we will move on to the next task at hand. Amen