Only God Knows What Will Happen Tomorrow
By: Whitney Hopler
Bible Reading:
“Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” – James 4:13-15, NIV
I recently saw a car accident ahead while driving on an interstate road. A driver hit a construction barrier, and the car burst into flames. I passed the car as it was completely engulfed in flames, with what looked like the burnt remains of people’s bodies inside. I saw a police car arrive to start blocking traffic. It parked some distance away to stay safe, since the car was ready to explode at any moment. An ambulance was coming, but as I passed the burning car, I felt a deep sense of sadness for the people it was on the way to rescue. It was too late. There were no survivors. All I could do was pray for the people who had started that day expecting to live but ended up dying in that accident.
Life is unpredictable. We make plans, set goals, and dream about the future. But in reality, we don’t have control over what will happen tomorrow. James 4:13-15 warns against making plans, assuming we can control our destiny. These verses remind us that our lives are like a mist – here for a short time and then gone. Keeping that fact in mind can help us trust God, who does have control over the future.
Only God knows what will happen tomorrow.
Many of us like to feel in control. We plan our schedules, organize our work, and set goals for the future. However, life often brings unexpected changes. We may encounter good changes (like opportunities we never anticipated) or bad changes (like challenges with our health or jobs). We may even face the end of our earthly lives unexpectedly, like the people in the car accident I saw. No matter how carefully we plan, we never know what tomorrow holds. But God does!
Does this mean we shouldn’t make plans? No, but it does mean we should hold our plans loosely. Instead of saying, “I will do this,” we should say, “If it’s the Lord’s will, I will do this.” This simple change in mindset shows God that we’re really trusting his good plans for us.
While planning is wise, we must remember that God has the final say. God’s wisdom is far greater than ours; he sees the whole picture while we see only a small part of it.
We should seek God’s guidance before making important decisions. Then, we should live with gratitude for each day. Since we don’t know what tomorrow holds, we should cherish the present time. Each day is a gift from God, so we should use it wisely – to love God and others, and to enjoy life to the fullest. Finally, we must be flexible and trust that God’s plans for us are better than our own. Sometimes, the doors we want to walk through remain closed, and we wonder why. But in time, we often see that God protected us from something not meant for us. Sometimes, God redirects us toward something greater than we could have imagined. If we genuinely believe that God is good, we can trust that every change God makes to our plans will benefit us.
So, we don’t have to worry about our uncertainty in this fallen world. We can choose to let uncertainty motivate us to trust God in deeper ways. When we live this way, we can experience true peace, no matter what happens in the future!
Intersecting Faith and Life
As you consider how to trust God for your future, reflect on these questions:
- Do you make some plans without considering God’s will? If so, how can you involve God more in your decisions?
- How do you respond when your plans don’t go as expected? How can you trust that God is in control when you face unexpected changes?
- What are some areas in your life where you need to surrender control to God?
- How can you develop an attitude of gratitude each day?
Further Reading
Proverbs 16:9
Matthew 6:34
Proverbs 3:5-6
Psalm 37:5
Romans 8:28
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/BrianAJackson
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