I write about Stuff

“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.’ How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?” —James 4:13–14

There is something deeply human about planning. We sketch out our tomorrows, map out our goals, and imagine the future as if it were guaranteed. We fill calendars, set reminders, and build schedules with confidence. Yet James interrupts this instinct with a gentle but sobering question: How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? It is not a rebuke against planning but a reminder of our limits — and of God’s sovereignty.

Robert Burns captured this tension well when he wrote, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” Anyone who has ever tried to keep a family vacation on schedule knows exactly what he meant. Life has a way of surprising us, interrupting us, and redirecting us. And while the old Yiddish saying — “Man plans, and God laughs” — is not literally true, it does highlight a spiritual truth: plans made without God at the centre are fragile things.

Scripture never discourages planning. In fact, it encourages it. Proverbs points us to the ants — tiny creatures with no leader, no supervisor, no external pressure — yet they work diligently, preparing for the future. Their instinct to plan ahead is held up as wisdom. Paul echoes this in Romans 12:11, urging believers to work hard and serve the Lord with enthusiasm. Planning, diligence, and effort are not signs of self‑reliance; they are expressions of stewardship.

But James reminds us that planning becomes dangerous when it becomes independent — when we assume control over a future that does not belong to us. The businessmen James addressed were not rebuked for their success or their strategy. They were corrected because they planned as though God were irrelevant. They spoke confidently about tomorrow without acknowledging the One who holds tomorrow.

This is where the heart of James’s message lies: planning is good, but planning without God is presumption.

When we make plans, we must begin with God’s will, not our own ambition. We must ask not only What do I want to accomplish? but What does God desire for me? This requires familiarity with His Word — seeing how He guided Abraham, redirected Moses, humbled David, strengthened Esther, and interrupted Paul. Their stories remind us that God’s plans often unfold differently than expected, yet always for His glory and their good.

It also requires involving the people God has placed in our lives. Wise planning is not done in isolation. Spouses, family members, and trusted friends can offer insight, caution, encouragement, and perspective. Sometimes God speaks through the voices of those who know us best.

But above all, planning must be bathed in prayer. Prayer is where our desires are refined, our motives purified, and our hearts aligned with God’s purposes. Prayer is where we surrender our timelines, our expectations, and our definitions of success. It is where we learn to say, “Lord, guide my steps. Open the doors that lead to Your will. Close the ones that don’t.”

And prayer is where we prepare ourselves for the possibility that God’s plan may look different from ours.

Sometimes God blesses our plans with success. Other times He allows us to walk through seasons of struggle, delay, or disappointment. These moments are not signs of His absence but invitations to trust Him more deeply. Trials shape us in ways success never could. They teach us patience, humility, dependence, and perseverance. They remind us that God’s ultimate goal is not our comfort but our character.

James’s question — How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? — is not meant to frighten us. It is meant to free us. When we acknowledge the uncertainty of tomorrow, we learn to live more fully in today. We become more grateful, more attentive, more dependent on God. We stop striving to control outcomes and start seeking to honour Him in every step.

A well‑made plan is not one that guarantees success. It is one that keeps God at the centre — from the first idea to the final outcome. It is one that says, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” It is one that trusts God’s wisdom more than our own.

Life is unpredictable. But God is faithful. And when He is woven into our planning, our paths — whether smooth or steep — become places where His glory shines.