Life is unpredictable

“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." 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.
15 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)

Life is unpredictable. But we can be tempted to live as if we are in control of everything. Modern life provides us with a tension or paradox. On the one hand, advances in technology suggest that we are increasingly in control of our world. We can predict the weather, prolong life and communicate across the globe in seconds. On the other hand, we live with increasing levels of uncertainty, fear and anxiety. We have global warming, incurable diseases and relationship breakdown. How are we meant to live in the midst of this paradox?

Some people withdraw from the challenges of life. They long for the past, escape to the “country” or live for themselves to the exclusion of others. Jesus describes one such person in the parable of the “rich fool”. This man builds up lots of wealth and keeps building bigger barns to keep it in. "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?'21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:20-21)

God’s offers us an alternative way to live. It is to plan for the future, admit life’s uncertainty and place our trust in God. It is expressed in words like,

"If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." (James 4:15 NIV)

Such an attitude does not allow the uncertainty of life to paralyse us. Nor, does it pretend that everything is guaranteed and sure. Instead, it depends on the goodness and power of God. It trusts that the One who created the world also sustains it and us. It looks beyond the things which are temporary and will fade away. It focuses on being “rich toward God” and valuing those things which will last for eternity.

How do you cope with the unpredictability of life?

Grace to the humble

“But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (James 4:6-10 NIV)


“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble”. (James 4:7) What an awesome thought. Most people, if they believe in God, would prefer to have him on their side rather than fighting against them. James tells us that a guaranteed way to have God oppose us is to be proud. In contrast, he says that God “gives grace” to the humble. Why is this so?

Pride says, “I can do it on my own. I don’t need anyone else. I don’t need God”. This attitude cuts us off from other people and from God. The book of Proverbs describes one of the seven deadly sins as “a proud look” (Proverbs 6:17) It ranks it before “shedding blood” which may seem surprising to us. But pride is the root cause of many other sins because of the attitudes it promotes. This kind of pride is not about respecting ourselves but devaluing others.

In contrast, to be humble is to admit our need of help from God and from other people. Jesus demonstrated this kind of humility by becoming a human being. He lived as one of us and served people to the point of dying on a cross for our sins. He did all this even though he was equal to God. (Philippians 2:1-11) To follow him is to live in the same kind of way. Submitting or surrendering to God means admitting that we can’t make it on our own. It involves asking God for his wisdom, guidance and strength for living life.

Submitting to God enables us to deal effectively with the evil in our own lives and in the world around us. The Bible speaks about the presence of evil in our world in various ways. It is spiritually embodied in the Devil who opposed Jesus and opposes his followers. (Luke 4, Revelations 12) It is also present in our corrupt social and economic structures which reflect human selfishness and greed. The followers of Christ are called to live differently and to make a difference in our society.

Resisting the Devil involves coming near to God. This is evident when we cleanse our hands and hearts and feel sad about our sins. We see ourselves and God in a new way. We want to act and think in ways that honour God and care about people. This is not about living life with a gloomy face or never having fun. It is about putting God first and considering the needs of others as well as our own needs.

To what degree does your life reflect a humble trust in God and concern for others?