Is God Your Co-Pilot?

James 4:14 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.

The world is good at providing the distraction of planning. It is good at providing a multitude of diversions for our attention. Our days are filled with careers to grow or jobs to suffer through. It is filled with meetings and deadlines; responsibilities and drudgery. The mornings give way to the afternoon, spilling over into the evening. Before we know it, the next day has arrived to consume our time again with more things to plan and organize. Just trying to get through the day. Just working for the weekend. Just hoping next year brings what you felt was sorely lacking from this one. Noted Composer Hector Beriloz once quipped, " Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils." And so it goes. The illusion sometimes is that we always have plenty of time. There will be time to do this or that. Time to say this or that. But tomorrow is promised to no man.

This verse from the Book of James outlines the true illusion of time and how fragile our lives ultimately are. It should remind us the importance of having God in control. We tend as humans to focus on the time we are given here on earth; on the temporal instead of the eternal. This is reflected in Ecclesiastes:

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3: 11

God has set eternity in our hearts but we can be so easily distracted. Working in the James verse the first thing God is telling us is that we do not even know what will happen tomorrow. We can try to plan for tomorrow. Set up retirement accounts, plan how we will spend our so called "golden years" and sit at work waiting for the day the pension kicks in. We can dream that we know what will happen tomorrow. We can make bold predictions, map out our lives, and set our course. But God is reminding us here that we do not truly know what tomorrow brings. The bible tells a story of a certain rich fool who planned ahead within himself. He had produced an abundant crop; more than he had room to store. He thought to himself that he would tear down his barns, build bigger ones and then kick back and relax and take it easy. Live the good life. Enjoy retirement. Here was the response from God:

"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?' Luke 12:20

Is it wrong to prepare and plan ahead? Of course not. Is it wrong to be prudent and wise with our abundance? Of course not. What made the rich man, a rich fool, was that his plans did not include God. He prepared for himself. He did not even recognize that the abundance was provided by God. He planned as if he was in control of tomorrow. God is in control beloved. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. But fortunately, He does...

God knows what will happen to you tomorrow and every day for the rest of your life. He is omniscient; meaning He perfectly and eternally knows all things which can be known, past, present, and future. The Prophet Isaiah assures us:

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. Isaiah 46:10

It is for God's purpose that we live. That purpose is eternal. Sometimes believers think they have to wait for this life to pass before they inherit eternal life but that is wrong. We are to be living the eternal life here on earth. God knows all and sees all. He reveals things to us one step at a time. I have often heard Christians lament that they wish God would show them the end product; what will be. The truth is that if God ever showed us the end, we would never leave our house. We would be too scared. The Psalmist teaches us this principle:

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119: 105

Note that the word is a lamp to our feet directing us in the way we should go through this life. More importantly, note that it does not light everything up for us. It does not reveal everything at once for us. Instead, it is a light for our path. A lamp to our feet and a light to our path. One step at a time. We cannot see the end of that path but God does. We cannot see beyond where we are walking but God can. And we know we can trust this method because Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

So if we know that we love God and that we are called according to His purpose then we know that He is working all things out for our good. If we know He is working all things out for our good, then we know that we can trust Him as we walk step by step in faith along the path He sets for us. We do not have to see everything now because we have faith. It is ok that we do not know what tomorrow will bring because we know God is working on it. God is on the job!

So what is our life, as James asks? He describes it as a mist. Think about that visually. That is something that we know is there but we can't really see it. We cannot take a hold of it. We cannot grasp it or control it. Yet we sure do try! We think that we can know better. We can organize and plan and make decisions only to see time and again the results end in disappointment. The bible tells us:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5-6

It does not say trust in your friends. It does not say trust in your stockbroker or 401K. It says trust in the Lord. It also does not say to trust Him occasionally or when your back is against the wall but rather, with all of your heart. It does not say to acknowledge Him with some parts of our lives but maybe holding back this or that but rather in all of our ways. And what is the promise if we do that? God will make our paths straight, which actually means He will make our paths known. The more we acknowledge Him and trust in Him, the brighter the path becomes. The more we can see as we walk with Him. The clearer everything becomes.

Don't try to grasp the mist that is your life today; turn it over to God. A dear friend once told me, "If God is your co-pilot you're in the wrong seat." Does that mean that we do not plan diligently for tomorrow? Or course not. What it means is that we have an indispensable source of wisdom and complete knowledge within us through the Holy Spirit. God knows what tomorrow brings, so why not plan with Him? Why not make sure that your plans are His plans? The Book of Acts tells us a story of when the Sanhedrin wanted to kill the apostles for preaching that Jesus was the Christ. A Pharisee named Gamaliel stood up and convinced them otherwise by saying this:

Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." Acts 5: 38-39

If your purpose or plans are of human origin they will fail beloved. If you plan with God then no one will be able to prevent it. If people try, they will be fighting against God. The same principle works when we try to do things under our own power and lean to our own understanding. We do so without fully knowing the path God has laid out for us and in reality we end up fighting against God within ourselves. We can become like the rich fool.

This need not be. Switch seats and let God be in complete control. The world will continue to distract you but God has set eternity in your heart. We all have needs and planning to ensure those needs are met is important. Planning with God however, is vitally important. His word is a lamp unto our feet, lighting our path as we go. That path becomes straighter and clearer the more we lean on Him and not our own understanding. Then we can see that He has already met our needs before we can even be aware that we have them. According to His word:

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Plan with God. He knows your tomorrows.

Anthony Wade November 10, 2008