Living a Faith that can be Seen - James 5:13-18

PRAYING THE PRAYER OF FAITH

 

Praying the “prayer of faith.” That sounds a little redundant, doesn’t it? Isn’t every prayer prayed by faith, in faith, or out of faith? Praying requires some measure of faith that there is a God who hears and responds to our requests. What’s the difference between simple prayer and the prayer of faith?

            If we consider the context of James 5:13-18 we may assume that the “prayer of faith” has more to do with asking God for healing. That’s a big “ask” and we would further assume that this request would require greater faith than many of us possess. I first encountered a request for healing as a 20-year-old preacher at a nursing home. After delivering my message on prayer, an elderly resident approached me meekly and asked that I lay my hand on her head and pray that God would take away her pain. I nervously muttered a prayer, but having never prayed for healing before, I wasn’t sure what was supposed to happen. Did I blow it by not praying a prayer of faith? I don’t think so.

            Perhaps the prayer of faith is more than healing and less than we think. What if the prayer of faith has more to do with believing that when we pray, God will actually answer? A friend of mine went hiking in the high country of Vancouver Island. Knowing his trek would be a long, lonely path, he brought some food with him. When he stopped to cook his food, he suddenly realized that he didn’t bring matches. So, he thanked God for his lunch and added that it would have been nice to have a hot meal. For some reason he gathered some sticks together and made a pile to burn. As he was reaching under a pine bough, he found a lighter. He was able to light the kindling and cook his sausage. What are the chances of finding a lighter in the wilderness where few had hiked and that he would put his hand out and find someone’s lost lighter? 

            James concludes his very practical letter with an all-encompassing invitation to pray believing that God powerfully answers us when we pray in faith.

Pray in all Circumstances (5:13)

 

Jesus taught a lot about prayer. One thing he impressed on his disciples was to come often and pester God, to knock on his door at any hour, to pray about everything. We see this in the parable of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5ff). The friend comes to his neighbor at midnight because a late-night guest has arrived, and he has nothing to feed the guest. But the neighbor doesn’t want to get up and refuses him. The short answer is: God isn’t like that neighbor. 

            James reflects on the attitude of prayer that Jesus taught and in short staccato phrases urges us to pray always. “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise,” (13). 

            What other conditions are there in life? When you boil life down to the basics you are either some form of happy or a version of sad. In short, pray to the Lord in good times and in bad times. Nothing is too insignificant. Are you suffering? Pray. What kind of suffering? Doesn’t matter. Knowing that God cares, we know that we can bring all our cares to him. Sometimes we slip into humanizing God and think that we are annoying him with our constant requests. But we honor God by going to him with every concern.

            And not only concerns, James tells us that when we are happy, we ought to sing to God. The word for “sing praise” in Greek comes from a word similar to “psalms.” These are songs, but they are also prayers. There is a lot to sing praise about when you stop and soak in the beauty of our world. 

            The poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins said, “The world is charged with the grandeur of God.” When we wake up and the sun is shining and the air is crisp and the coffee is good and the day is open and available and we get to do meaningful work and our heart swells with the good things, what do we do with that gratitude? (David McLemore). Praise God. We cry with our hearts to our Creator, “Thank you, God.” As Paul said, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing…” (1 Thess. 5:16-17). 

Praying for the Sick (5:14-15a)

 

James moves from the general to the specific regarding what we pray about. This is where it gets difficult to interpret and to apply this invitation. “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord,” (14). 

            There are several details to unpack in this one verse, so let’s begin with a few observations and then some questions:

1.     The elders are called to the sick person. Whereas James urged those who were suffering to pray themselves, this person is so sick that he or she needs help expressing need.

2.     The elders do all the praying. Notice that they are not called “healers” but “elders.” They are the shepherds of the community of faith. Nothing is mentioned about any of them having the gift of healing. In fact, as some scholars explain it, no one person has that gift, but the gifts of healings are given in specific cases (1 Cor. 12:9).

3.     The person is called “worn out” or “exhausted” in v. 15. This explains the need for assistance.

4.     The faith is that of the elders, not the sick person. Often, the pressure is laid on the sick person to have faith to get well. Yet here we see that the elders pray the prayer of faith. 

5.     The elders pray “over” the person as if that person were confined to bed. What is not mentioned is the laying on of hands on the sick person. It seems to be implied. Jesus regularly healed the sick by the laying on of hands. Luke observes that Jesus was surrounded by the sick and demon-possessed at Simon’s house “and he laid hands on every one of them and healed them,” (Luke 4:40). The laying on of hands is a way of identifying with the person in one sense, but in another it is symbolic of acting on behalf of Christ. 

Why are we supposed to anoint the sick person with oil? This is a physical action with symbolic significance. There is no special healing power in oil. It is not medicinal in nature, though the ancients used to think there was some healing power in it. The oil represents the Holy Spirit, and by applying it to the sick person, that person is set apart for God’s special attention and care. 

      I was ambushed in my office at Crestview by some deacons who wanted me to anoint one of our congregants. She was suffering depression and requested prayer. I had no idea what to do with the oil when it was handed to me. I made the sign of the cross on her forehead and we prayed. It was later reported to me that the woman came out of her darkness.

      This brings on a question from the text: What kind of sickness does James refer to in this practice? Christians debate this more than you would think. Paul uses the same word “sick” for those who are spiritually sick because of sin. But the same word is used throughout the NT for physical sickness. So, some would say that we are not being asked to pray over physical sickness but over sin, while others think we ought to pray for healing of all diseases. 

            Then James says, “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up,” (15a). This is the big question: What is the prayer of faith? Some people have used it as God’s promise that all who pray the “prayer of faith” will be healed. So, when a person isn’t healed it’s blamed on a lack of faith. This view is not only false but cruel. If this were true, no faithful believer should ever get sick or die. Do we see that kind of teaching in the NT? Not at all. We know that Paul was not healed of the thorn in his flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-10), that Paul did not heal Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:25-30) or Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20). 

            I return to my original proposition in answer to this question. Every prayer should be a prayer of faith because we should not ask anything of God unless we believe that he is able to grant it (see Js. 1:6-8 “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting…”; Heb. 11:6). And healing is a gift, not a reward for how faithful we are. We believe God can heal; we submit ourselves to him; then we leave ourselves in his hands. 

            God can heal despite our doubting. It’s not the strength of our faith that matters. What matters is the One in whom we have faith. Our job is to ask; his job is to answer as he sees fit. 

 

The Condition for Answered Prayer (15b-16a)

 

When people ask for healing, pastors will often ask if there is anything that the sick person wants to confess regarding sin in their lives. James indicates that unconfessed sins may be a reason for the illness or unanswered prayer. He counsels, “And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” 

            There is a spiritual dimension to healing. Confession of sin heals. But I want to caution us here, not every sickness is the result of sin. On the one hand, Jesus healed the paralytic by saying his sins were forgiven (Mk. 2:5), but then says that the man born blind was not blind because of sin (John 9:1-3). Paul also told the Corinthians they were getting sick because they abused the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:30). We should not assume sickness is due to sin, yet we need to be honest with ourselves about outstanding sinful behavior. 

            Consider a person who is addicted to pornography and prays for healing or an answer to prayer. Can we say that the person is praying a prayer of faith if they feel no sorrow over this egregious sin in their life? As the writer of Hebrews said, “Without faith it is impossible to please (God)…” Believing God means acknowledging our sin before him (1 Jn 1:10). 

            James says that the church ought to confess our sins to one another. I don’t think I have ever witnessed this in the church. Unless you consider Randy’s confession last Sunday. Confession of sin makes you vulnerable. And what sins do you confess? 

            I have often wondered what confession would look like in a Sunday morning service. Some of your sins and my sins are best not shared and only confessed to God, for the sake of the body. But where we have sinned against the body there may be a place for admitting this. 

If we do confess to one another, James calls us to pray for each other. This leads to healing in the congregation. 

 

Who can Pray? (16b-18)

 

When you read this next verse, you may count yourself out. James says, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working,” (16b). Who is a righteous person? Not me, you say. 

            James gives us an example of a righteous person: Elijah. Elijah was a legend by the time of James. The stories of his adventures are amazing. In 1 Kings we read how he marched right into King Ahab’s court and announced that it would only rain when Elijah said it would. The drought lasted 3 ½ years. During that drought, he was fed by ravens; he then moved into the widow of Zarephath’s house, and the flour never ran out; he raised her son from the dead; he called down fire from heaven to consume a water-logged sacrifice in front of 400 prophets of Baal (remember the drought).

            This is the example we are given. Talk about high standards for righteousness. But then James makes a remarkable statement: “Elijah was a man with a nature like ours…” (17a). If you have ever read the story of Elijah, you will find that behind God’s miraculous intervention, Elijah was often afraid, and he doubted. I discovered that if Elijah visited a 21^stcentury physician, he would be diagnosed as clinically depressed, even bipolar (according to NIMH). In other words, he was just a man. He had ups and downs, but he prayed, and God answered.

            Elijah prayed because God had spoken. We pray because God has spoken. Prayer is not a string of empty words to a transcendent God way up there, but an earnest plea to a speaking Savior who has been where we are. We pray not because it’s a feel-good thing to do, like some kind of self-talk therapy, but because God has chosen to work through our prayers to bring about his purposes.

            Who can pray? 

 

Muslims pray five times a day. Buddhists pray three times a day. Hindus pray at least once a day. But the Bible calls Christians to pray without ceasing. Why? Because the God we serve is near. Through Jesus Christ we have confidence to draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Heb. 4:16).

            James invites us to pray to our Lord at all times. I want to echo that invitation. Pray! If you can’t find the words to pray, let us help you. If you need healing, let us pray for you. If you are carrying a broken heart, let us pray for you. If you are suffering the dark night of the soul (depression), let us pray for you. If you are struggling to find answers from God, let us carry that burden with you, and pray with you. I will anoint you with oil and the leaders of this congregation will pray with you. 

            Let us pray the prayer of faith. Sometimes we pray and walk away expecting…nothing. Let us pray with great expectation, believing that God will do something, even something better than we dream up. Like my friend who gathered sticks with no matches, pray in faith.

             I have grown to love the song by Colton Dixon, “Build a Boat.” He sings,

I will build a boat in the sand where they say it never rains
I will stand up in faith, I'll do anything it takes
With Your wind in my sails, Your love never fails or fades
I'll build a boat in the desert place
And when the flood and the water starts to rise, yeah
I'll ride the storm 'cause I got You by my side
With Your wind in my sails, Your love never fails or fades
I'll build a boat, so let it rain.

 

            Finally, as Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you,” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).

 

                                                            AMEN

Living a Faith that Can be Seen - James 5:1-12

WOES, “WHOAS,” AND WARNINGS CONCERNING THE WEALTHY

 

James has been a challenging book to study as a church. We have often found ourselves convicted by the straightforward tone of his message as it cuts straight to the heart. Faith, he has taught us, is not a mere confession, but a way of life. Faith in God ought to change how we speak, how we evaluate others, how we measure vibrant faith. 

            Though his style is blunt, James has been practical and wise, helping us to see ourselves in the mirror of the Word. In our text today, 5:1-12, James turns on the “harsh” as he tackles a fiery subject: the oppression of the wealthy. 

            Our impression of these words may lead us to conclude that its wrong for Christians to be wealthy. A careful study of the text will reveal that this is not the case. The problem that the believers in James’ churches were facing was oppressive working conditions under the power and influence of wealthy unbelievers. In other words, these are their bosses, and they are creating unjust working conditions for people who love Jesus.

            What is a believer to do when your employer treats you unfairly because of your faith? Christians suffering under such oppression would be tempted to despair, to retaliate in some way, or to simply become bitter about the unfairness of life. 

            James counsels the oppressed worker to approach this situation more radically. How does he do that? It’s a bit foreign to our current grasp of justice in the workplace. But he directs the believer to remember the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. James wants to reorient our thinking, to submit our desire for fairness, so that we fix our minds instead on the return of the Lord. This, he says, requires patience. 

            I must admit that when I hear my daughter speak of the inconsistencies and unfairness of her office in Steinbach, my first thought is not to say, “Remember, Jesus is coming soon.” But let’s consider what James has to say to the wealthy and to the oppressed in his day and see if we can apply it to us.

 

Woe to the Wealthy Oppressor (5:1-6)

 

 James has some difficult words for those who have chased after wealth. “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you,” (1). What makes this especially stark is that whereas James has called upon his readers to change their ways in other instances, he does not call for change here, he just warns them of disaster. 

            James calls on his readers to change, but these wealthy unbelievers are not his readers. That’s the reason he merely tells them something bad is coming. 

            When he says, “Come now,” he uses an apostrophe. That means, he speaks to people who are not present for the benefit of those who are. In that way, James is not trying to warn the wealthy per se, but to comfort the believers who are being oppressed. 

            This way of speaking works in two ways. In one sense, James is warning the rich that a terrible ordeal is coming. But there is also a warning for believers not to fall into the trap of the wealthy. 

            James may not have quoted Jesus directly, but there are obvious influences from Jesus’ teaching in his writing. For instance, Jesus spoke to the wealthy in like manner saying, “…woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep,” (Luke 6:24-25). Much like the businessmen in the previous passage who operated without a thought of God, the attitude of the wealthy in this text probably viewed wealth as a way to avoid pain and suffering. But James tells them plainly that their wealth will not save them ultimately. 

            The bottom line is that great wealth has incredible challenges for those who want to follow Jesus. Much of that challenge is how to use wealth without being used by it. Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money,”(Luke 16:13). What does “serving money” look like? And what were these wealthy people doing that provoked judgment? The answers to these questions are one and the same.

            First, they were guilty of hoarding. Mario Puzzo, a character in The Godfather said, “Behind every successful fortune there is a crime.” The crime was hoarding more things than they could use. Why do the wealthy hoard? It may be a fear of the future rooted in a lack of faith in God to provide. It may be a means of impressing others with how much they possess. In any case, it is self-centered and shows a lack of concern for others. James condemns their hoarding saying, “Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you…” Gold doesn’t actually rust, but the implication is that their wealth will go bad; gold will actually be useless; it certainly won’t save them. 

            Second, they withheld pay from their workers. The Bible speaks against withholding wages in Lev. 19:13 calling it robbery. James personifies the money in the wallet of the rich man and pictures it as crying out against them (4). And the cries of the harvesters, the unpaid laborers, are heard by God as well. 

            Third, they were self-indulgent. While holding back the pay of their workers, the wealthy have gone on to live the high life (5). Think of the sweatshops and child labor factories of the developing world where pay is low, but the product is sold for a hefty sum in America. James says “live it up now” because what’s coming isn’t pretty. “You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter,” (5b). Those who live off the sweat of others and deprive them of what is owed are going to be like a cow fattened up to cut into steaks. 

            Fourth, they oppressed the righteous person (6). Because of their status as wealthy leaders in the community, they felt that they had the right to judge whomever they chose. Was the person too outspoken? Asking for rights? Or just a victim of unjust profiling? James says these victims are innocent. Some writers have connected this verse with the crucifixion of Jesus since it was the religious elite who sentenced him to death. They just happened to be the ones with the most to lose financially if Jesus’ movement took hold on the population. They would lose their status. James may not have intended this connection, but there is a threat to the status quo in the workplace if gospel values are introduced.

            James is not condemning the possession of wealth. We must not conclude that it’s evil to be rich. What James is teaching us is that some wealthy people oppress others in pursuit of more wealth and power. James condemns hoarding and wastefulness; he condemns withholding wages and self-indulgence; and he opposes those who take advantage of the innocent who are “murdered” by their business ethics.

 

“Whoa” to the Oppressed Believer (5:7-12)

 

What is a believer to do when they suffer workplace mistreatment or are treated unjustly by an employer? The 21^stcentury approach would be to call a labor board and report the infraction. Unions were established to protect the worker’s rights. But that’s not what James tells his churches. 

            There are two words repeated four times in this next section. The first word I want to highlight is “brothers.” I call your attention to this term (it could be brothers and sisters) because when James was speaking to the wealthy, he never used this term. This implies that the wealthy were not believers. Now he addresses believers with his response to injustice. 

            The second word is “patience.” “Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord,” (7a). The Christians must have been frustrated with how they had been treated. The normal human response is to retaliate, to seek justice in the courts, or to take what’s owed to them by force (perhaps). 

            James says “whoa.” Be patient. Do you know what it means when you say “whoa” to a horse? Nothing. When I was learning to ride at a friend’s riding circle and I said “whoa” to my horse, my trainer said, “it doesn’t do anything.” I was further enlightened when my brother-in-law, a riding instructor, told me that when I wanted to stop the horse I should sit firmly down on the saddle. I didn’t realize it, but as I rode, I was half-standing. I needed to sit to signal the horse to stop. Whoa is a posture. Patience is sitting fully down and saying, “Okay, I’m going to wait for the Lord to act.” 

            This is counterintuitive to how we think and act in our workplaces. What James is counseling us to do though, is to leave vengeance to Jesus. He is coming and he will make right the wrongs even of your workplace. Be patient and wait.

            James illustrates the waiting with a picture of the farmer. He says, “See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and late rains,” (7bc). Just as the farmer can do nothing to force God’s hand in the sending of the rain or the process of growth, so we cannot compel Christ to return according to any timetable except God’s. The question for us in the waiting is this: Can we trust our Lord to bring justice to our present conflicts when he returns (whenever that is)? 

            A contractor friend of mine did some work for a neighbor in our community some years ago. The neighbor was not satisfied with the work and so withheld the payment due to my friend. The work had been completed, however, and cost my friend 10 grand or more. As a Christian he wanted to show grace, but as a businessman he needed to be paid. Can you imagine giving this to God in patient expectation and saying, “Wait till the Second Coming”? 

            James actually intends that we think that way. Be patient. He says again, “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand,” (8). This is called active waiting. Lazy waiting is passive and does not prepare oneself for what is to come. Active waiting is like the farmer who waits for the crop to ripen and does something to ensure that a healthy harvest will emerge. That kind of patience nurtures the heart with a proper attitude towards life as we experience it. 

             We fix our hope on the return of the Lord in our daily existence. That means that we see life differently than the average person who must fight and claw for respect and dignity in the working world. For many people, gaining wealth is a way of rising above their circumstances. Promotion is a way of building self-respect. When those things are withheld or are out of reach, dreams are shattered, and disappointment becomes depression. But if we fix our hope on the Lord, we see our world through a different lens; we have a real hope for a better existence that is a gift from God. (See Col. 3:1-3 for the lens). 

            To take this perspective is costly. I will be honest with you, if you are looking for justice at work in this present time, you may suffer instead. James does not give an antidote for suffering, but he simply acknowledges that suffering will continue. 

            He does give two examples of patience in suffering, “…take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord,” and Job (10-11a). These examples do not give us a sense of relief in any shape or form. But they suffered and waited patiently – that’s the point. The example of the prophets is given as a model for us. What the prophets did was speak the truth of the Lord and they suffered for it. But they still sought the glory of God in what they did and said. Suffering injustice and trusting God to respond to that injustice is a testimony that we believe God is greater than the hurt that is done to us. 

            No person ever suffered more than Job, we often say. James said, “we consider those blessed who remained steadfast,” (11a). We are more than willing to call others blessed for enduring suffering, even though we have no interest in undergoing it ourselves. But Job is our model. He is the prime biblical illustration of patience in trials. He even spoke out against God’s justice, but he never stopped believing that God would redeem him. 

            

Elon Musk, once the richest man in the world, has now entered the Guinness World Record books. How did he do this? Some say that he lost over 200 billion dollars in 2022. That’s the most any person in the history of the world has ever lost. Musk’s losses are rooted in the devaluing of Tesla shares as other motor companies have gained in the development of electric cars. As of January 10, Musk’s net worth now sits at only 142 billion.

            How does a person achieve that level of wealth? Is it, as Puzzo says, “Behind every successful fortune there is a crime”? Jesus says it better, “What does it profit a person to gain the whole world, but forfeit their soul?” 

            James wrote to Christians under pressure. They were being mistreated by people who possessed money and means. We know what it feels like to be taken advantage of in one way or another. What is the proper attitude to injustice? Where is it resolved? I have to tell you – and this is a surprise to me too – we need to learn to fix our hope on the return of Jesus. 

            Due to crazy apocalyptic literature and false prophets trying to discern the times with dates and events, I think we have given up on thinking about the return of Christ. What change in our hearts would occur concerning our world, its politics, its wars, and its economic ups and downs, if we would focus on the things that are above? (Col. 3:2). 

            This is the challenge for the week: When faced with conflict and crises, fix your heart on Christ’s return. Long for it. Pray for it. Look to him for the justice we all long for.

 

                                                            AMEN

 

Living a Faith that can be Seen - James 4:13-17

THE BEST LAID PLANS…

 

In the first few days of this new year, 2023, I felt as though I were standing on a mountaintop. In my imagination, I perceived the year starting on a vista where I could survey the months ahead in a general sort of way. It was a very simple vision. From January on I could see the year gently sloping downward toward the summer months. Then with the coming of autumn the year starts its climb towards Christmas again. 

            If you can picture it, the year is like a valley. We stand here on the rise, having climbed the ridge and looking down at the valley and wondering what it holds for us. What will we experience? What triumphs and successes will we know? What griefs and trials will we experience? We have no idea what’s ahead. 

            As we head into the unknown, we are inclined to make plans. What will we do this year? Some people like to make resolutions; others make goals; still others, knowing that both resolutions and goals are easily broken, are content to take what comes. For those who make plans, goals, objectives for the new year, they do so to take control of their lives. Rather than letting life dictate haphazardly what will happen, you are determined to make life fit your plan. And that’s okay.

            There is a saying, however, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” The saying is adapted from a line in “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns. It means that no matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. 

            In this bit of wisdom from James 4:13-17, he gives us a word of caution about the making of plans. The key is not to forgo making plans, but to make plans with the right attitude. That attitude involves a humble recognition that we really have no control over our lives in the way that God does. 

            What are your plans for the new year? Have you included the Lord in your planning? And what does it mean to involve God in your planning?

Do you have a plan? (4:13)

 

James presents a scenario typical of an ANE first century businessman. It was a very common practice to take one’s wares to another town that did not have that product and sell them at a profit. It would be like taking livestock feed to a town that raises pigs, sell them grain to feed the pigs, then buy some farmer sausage and go to BC and sell the sausage there (since they don’t know how to make it there apparently). 

            This is the scenario: “Look here, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit…’”

            As far as plans go, this sounds reasonable. Did you notice the tone? I think this is what James objects to in the plan. We will go…we will stay…we will do business… (we will) make a profit.” There is such definite certainty; there are no “ifs”; there is an underlying arrogance in these goals. James will soon point out to us that God is missing in this plan. 

            Isn’t that the way we do life? We act like the masters of our own lives. It is very common for businesspeople to expand their commercial reach without considering God’s will in the process. We simply don’t think that way. Business is business and faith is something else. I’m not saying this to condemn anyone; I think the fact is we just don’t include God’s will in our plans. We are all susceptible to this omission. 

            You may think this is going overboard…to tell the truth, I am not sure of the theology either, but consider this: Sharon and I replaced the dishwasher, stove, and refrigerator in our home last year, and we didn’t pray about it. We just did it. We had the money, so we did it. Do you hear the trajectory of power in this statement? We had the money, so we did it. There’s the rub: If we have the money, we act. If we don’t have the money, then we pray. Why don’t we include God in the planning when we do have the money? Is it too much to rewire our brains to include God in the details of our lives?

Three Realities that may Disrupt your Plans (4:14-15)

 

If the best laid plans of mice and men are going to go awry, there are three reasons for this unforeseen disruption to your plans. 

            First, there is the uncertainty of the future. James countered the certainty of the businessman saying, “…yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring…” (14a). We make plans as if nothing will change in the near future. Even now, Sharon and I are planning a road trip in the summer but having no clue whether freak weather will descend on our location, or if politics or health will remain stable. We assume that we live in a peaceful context, but my son grows anxious as he watches the violent exchanges on twitter between the American right and left. We cannot assume anything.

            Second, there is the frailty of life. “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes,” (14b). The imagery is apt. Think of morning at the lake when the water is calm and a lazy mist hovers over the surface. As the sun rises and the heat of the day increases, the mist dissipates; it’s gone. Life is like that. In 2003, my father-in-law thought it would be a good idea to take his sons-in-law to the Grey Cup in Regina that fall. My health was not good at that point, and I hedged. He replied that none of us knows where we will be at that point. We can’t stop living. He passed away that summer. He was right. 

            Third, there is the supremacy of the will of God. “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that,” (15). If the Lord wills. The Apostle Paul often spoke in this way. He bid farewell to the Ephesians saying, “I will return to you if God wills,” (Acts 18:21). And in a greater awareness of the supremacy of God’s will, Jesus when pleading to avoid the cross cried, “Not my will but yours be done.” “Lord willing” as an expression can become a mindless saying if said glibly. On the other hand, saying “if the Lord wills it,” we might be excusing ourselves from taking responsibility for our actions. If something we plan fails, we may carelessly say, “I guess it was the Lord’s will.” Rather, it ought to convict our hearts of God’s sovereignty in every area of our lives. Think of the tone as James presents it: if the Lord wills, we will live…Our very existence is in his hands. That fearful acknowledgement ought to humble us in our plans.

 

A Proper Attitude to Planning (4:16-17)

 

The underlying problem with our plans is now revealed. James speaks directly now and reveals that it is the inherent boasting in our plans. These businesspeople that James uses as a test case in v. 13 are essentially bragging about their ability to plan their own lives independently of any divine guidance. They think they don’t need God’s input into their futures. 

            James counters, “As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil,” (16). When people boast of their independence from God, they sin. 

            Jesus took issue with this arrogance in his parable of the rich fool. (Read Luke 12:16-21). The man in the parable wasn’t foolish because he made a plan – it isn’t wrong to make plans. He was a fool because he presumed to be the master of his own destiny. He didn’t take God into account. He didn’t say, “If the Lord wills it, I will build bigger barns.” 

            Greg Allen, in his sermon “Submitting our plan to God’s plan,” says we act foolishly when…

1) We plan without beginning our plans with prayer. When I read this first point, I thought of the many congregational meetings I have been a part of where plans have been made, decisions voted on, and people elected without so much as a prayer to seek the guidance of God. And I think one of the reasons we don’t pray is because it will make the meeting longer. Or it may slow down the decision process even more. 

2) We plan with too much reliance on the plan itself. We have the money, and we have the plan, what’s the holdup? There are green lights to go ahead, it must be the Lord’s will, we muse. Who wouldn’t think so? Could it be that a good plan needs to be shelved for a better plan? Is that why God hesitates to bless our idea? Is he speaking through the one objector, the one we gnash our teeth at for voting “no”? 

3) We plan with too much confidence in our own abilities to “work the plan.” When you study various God-directed successes in the Bible, it will strike you as odd that the Spirit acted more profoundly when the people were not confident in themselves but had to rely more wholly on God. It’s a curious thing. When we are confident in our own ability, it is too easy to forget God in the execution of the plan.

4) We plan in such a way as to presume on the grace of God (that is, praying, “God forgive me for what I am about to do”; or thinking, “I know this is wrong, but I’ll have time to repent later”).

            Jesus has made it clear in his parable we read earlier that boasting in our wealth and abilities is wrong because it forgets God. The Scriptures teach us that there is very little that we can boast in concerning ourselves. 

            John Piper in his book Don’t Waste Your Life, counsels his readers that there is nothing to boast in for the Christian except the cross. “…then we must live near the cross – indeed we must live on the cross. This is shocking. But this is what Galatians 6:14 says: ‘Far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world’ (55). 

            When we live “on the cross” it is difficult to make plans without considering our proximity to Christ. How can we plan our retirement without the consultation of the one who died for us? How can we move? Take a new job? Even change our appliances without bending our knees (and our plans) to the Lord? 

            If we this seriously: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me,” (Gal 2:20). If we take this seriously, we cannot hold our plans so tightly and so confidently that our loving God cannot change them. And if he changes them, you can know for sure, it is for your good. 

 

            You may be wondering though, “How do I submit my plans to God’s plan?” If you plan to marry someone, build something, go to university, or try a new job – something very practical, very earthy – how do I include God in that plan? 

            Submit your plan to the Word of God. Ask yourself, “Does what I am intending to do fit with who God is and how he has revealed himself in the Bible?” Seek out the counsel of those whom who know love Jesus and are filled with godly wisdom. Ask them how they see your plan in light of God’s character. 

            Involve God right from the start. When the ideas begin to form in your mind, pray. Put the idea and the dream before God. He gave the ability to dream so let him form it in you.

            Consider the will of God. We pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done.” How does this plan or dream help the kingdom of God to be realized in your life and the lives of those it will affect? 

            Keep praying. Pray throughout the process. Pray at the beginning. Pray in its outworking. Pray near the end. Pray!

            Humbly submit not only the plan but its outcome to the Lord. It may not look like how you dreamed it up. Maybe it’s better. Maybe not. Submit the final result to him. If your plan fits with the nature of the kingdom of God and with God’s will, if you have invited him to be involved in the pursuit of this dream, and if you have prayed, ask him to help you to be content with the outcome. 

            What are your plans for 2023?

            Sharon and I will continue to plan for our road trip. I am convicted now to put this seemingly trivial journey before the Lord. If I believe that everything I do matters to my Lord, then how can I ignore his wise counsel?

            But as I considered my goals for 2023, I have this grand and very spiritual-sounding hope for my own life: I want to love Jesus more. And as I learn to love him more, I hope to think of myself less. I want to so lose myself in Jesus that I end up finding myself more fully in him. That’s my plan. I share it with you so that God will hold me to it and that you will bear witness to it. 

 

                                                            AMEN