Father,
We are people with
full schedules. We have things to do, places to go and people to see. We have
our lives mapped out pretty well. And as long as we are able to keep up with
our schedules, it all works out fairly well.
But then, You speak
into our lives. And You say to us,
Come now, you who
say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year
there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will
bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and
then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and
do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)
Father, it is all
too easy for us to forget this. We plot and scheme to get it all to fit, and
when we do, we are quite pleased with ourselves. But we forget who actually
runs our lives.
Father, we have
bought into the myth that we decide what happens. How arrogant! Are we gods?
Clearly not. We did not control the time of our birth nor will we control the
time of our death. And we don’t control what happens in between those two dates
either. But all too often we think that we do. How foolish.
So, forgive us,
Father, for thinking that we can do what only You can do. You are the only one
who runs this place and us in it. Help us to see that more clearly.
And then, Father,
help us to set up our plans wisely. Get us to understand that we will do this
or that only if You will it. We don’t have to repeat, ‘If the Lord wills’, at
every moment. But that does have to be an attitude deeply rooted in our hearts
as we think about doing this or that. It will be clear enough whether we
actually have adopted that attitude when You bring something unplanned into our
lives. There will be either submission or complaint.
And teach us,
Father, that having that attitude is the way to peace and joy. Who knows the
best route through this life? Not us. You do. So, when You interrupt our plans,
whether we’re talking about little frustrations or major problems, remind us,
Father, that your plan is always best. Get us to rest in that so that we can be
granted Your peace.
We want to live in
this way, Father, because it’s just another way to make You look as good as You
actually are. We live among a people who don’t know You. And they scurry about.
And when their plans are interrupted by You, they get angry or fearful or some
other sinful response. Their lives are not good. But if we could show them by
our lives the blessings of the Gospel, then maybe they would be open to hear it
from our lips. So, make us like Jesus, who trusted You with each day’s planning
and made You look so very good. Amen.
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