One of the most humbling things for humans to realize and consider is the fact that we are not immortal. It’s fun for us to consider immortality as a “super power,” but we know better than to think seriously that our physical bodies will live forever. Even more sobering is the reality that none of us knows when our time is up! We all can think of people who died “before it was their time.”
The book of James in the Bible gives us a humbling phrase dealing with the unknowns of life. In James 4:14 it says, “You do not know what tomorrow will bring- what your life will be! For you are like a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes.” The context of this verse is in a paragraph correcting those of us who plan for years ahead, banking on those years as if they are guaranteed. There is nothing wrong with planning ahead; that is a wise thing! But hold those plans loosely, as none of us knows what tomorrow will bring, much less what the year 2030 may bring. Our lives are here; and then they are gone. The year 2020 was a shocking, sudden reminder of that in so many ways.
But this message is not meant to be morbid or depressing! It is to remind us of the sobering reality that we are not as in control of our lives as we like to think. But do you know who is? Our Creator, the Heavenly Father of all mankind. He is the One who created all, knows all, and allows all things to happen in His perfect timing. He is the One we are to not just believe in but to fully trust in—not ourselves, our plans, our skills, or our dreams. Let’s start 2021 as an upcoming year of faith, trust, and hope. But let us direct that faith, trust, and hope to the God of all, who knows the future. And He wants us to know Him too.
Ben Moses
Associate Pastor of Youth and Missions
Simpson Creek Baptist Church