If the Lord Wills

James 5:15

Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.

 

After our trip to the worship conference last summer, I so see the truth of this verse. We had registered early, made our hotel accommodations, and were so ready to worship God for 3 days. Yet into the mix came illness. A hospital visit that lasted the entire 3 days [my husband] and stomach flu for me. We never got to attend even one session. But did we still praise God? Yes, He is so teaching us to praise Him even in adversity.

 

On the flight home, our standby status got us kicked off the plane while our luggage traveled on to Boise. So another night in a hotel in Oakland. What a deal! And still we must praise the Lord. But the lesson of this verse really hits home. All I do or plan should be prefaced with If the Lord wills. No one knows what tomorrow will bring.  What is our life? We are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Thinking we control our lives is another one of the mind games that we play with ourselves. Only God controls our lives, our thoughts, our actions, and our decisions. If we do not have this attitude, then we are boasting in our arrogance. Such boasting is evil. It is ignoring the God that I love and serve.

 

Did our 3 day trip cost money? Yes, money for hotel reservations, car rental, registration for the conference, and food. Instead of freaking out over such great losses, God is teaching me that money is common, not sacred. It should be put in the category of If the Lord wills too. Certainly God was in charge of all that was spent. His plan was and is very different from mine, and that is why I need to rest in Him and not view everything from a human point of view. What a lesson!

 

Father,

Thank You for bringing us home. I know that everything is in Your hand. I know that Your will must and will always supersede my plans. I thank You for being in my life.

In Jesus name,

Amen