Why Should I Trust God with My Plans? | James 4:13-17

Summary

Trip Lee walked through James 4:13-17 to understand our limitations, especially when it comes to making plans. As humans, our understanding is limited, our days on earth are numbered, and our power isn’t supreme. Trip reminds us of how we can humbly trust God regarding the present and our future.

Key Takeaways

• You don’t know. (James 4:13-14)
  • We should consult God and ask for his wisdom in our planning; It is okay not to know “what” or “how” to plan (Proverbs 16:9).
  • Our hearts should be in a posture of submission and humility.
  • Don’t find peace in a perfect plan but in a perfect God (John 14:27).
• You don’t last. (James 4:15-16)
  • We are a vapor facing our own mortality, and the brevity of life is good because we will pass through life quickly.
• You don’t reign. (James 4:17-18)
  • God’s moral will is what he shows us in his Word, while God’s sovereign will is what he will do.
  • We will not plan according to reality when we don’t understand our limitations.

Discussing and Applying the Sermon

• How difficult is it for you to trust God to make your plans? Why or why not?
• When you think about your life being described as a “vapor,” how does that make you feel? How does being a vapor motivate you to make plans for God rather than yourself?
• Think through specific circumstances in your life that fall under the subject of God’s revealed/moral will. Ask yourself if you are following through with what you know (revealed will) God is asking of you. If you are, praise him for the strength to follow him. If not, ask him for the strength to follow him in all that he is asking faithfully.
• Then, think through specific circumstances in your life that would fall under the subject of God’s hidden will. Ask yourself if you are following through with trusting God with what he has decreed sovereignly in your own life or specific things you are asking of God that haven’t been decreed yet. If you trust God with things that he has sovereignly made known to you, praise him, especially if it is not what you originally planned. Are you trying to control things that you are waiting on, things you have prayed for, but God hasn’t sovereignly decreed yet? Ask God now for the strength to continue to seek him, reminding yourself that you are limited, but God is not.
• Thank the Lord for his consistent care for us and for leading and loving us through every part and plan of our lives!