Leaning on the Providence of God | James 4:13-17
September 12, 1962. On a very warm Wednesday afternoon at Rice University in Houston, Texas, then-president John F. Kennedy stood up to give a simple speech on the nation’s growing space effort. Tensions with the Russians were beginning to pick up speed in the midst of the slow-cooking Cold War, the Russians had already fired the gun in the famous “space-race” with the launch of the Russian satellite Sputnik 5 years prior, but it was here at this speech that a finish line was defined. Kennedy declared…
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard…Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, "Because it is there." Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.”
—John F. Kennedy
Powerful. Poignant. Presumptive…
The classic American dream—the promise to carve your own life out of the earth, to have and provide for a family, to build a life in the wide open spaces of the American west—all of that became possible in the post-WWII era. American cities and industries were booming as the war-ravaged European countries struggled to pick themselves up off the mat. All of this gave the illusion and impression that we could really do whatever we set our minds on. “We choose to go to the moon”, Kennedy declares. And, in 1969—just in time—the first American boots took the small step from the ladder of the Apollo 11 landing module onto the Sea of Tranquility on the face of the moon signaling to the world (especially the Russians), that what America chooses to do, she does.
And now, over 6 decades later, likely every single adult in this room has a phone in their pocket or their hands that is infinitely faster and more complex than all the technology used to send those men to the moon. The great technology boom of the last 50 years far surpasses any dream of JFK. If we could send a man to the moon with nothing but slide calculators, imagine what we will choose to do next. Imagine what we will accomplish next! We truly have become masters of our own destinies.
The apostle James would like a word.
In this section, James is on a mission. This passage answers the question: “does man determine his steps? Are we able to make plans with certainty? Do we control our destiny?” We who love the sovereignty of God need to ask ourselves the question, “Is God's sovereignty contained to simply my salvation or suffering, or does his sovereignty extend into the corners of my life and the details of my day?”
One of James’ chief aims throughout this entire letter is to remind the dispersed Christians living throughout the Roman world that this universe is not a random one, where fate and chance and the gods battle one another, and you and I try to make our own way through life without getting sideswiped. No, we live in a world that was created on purpose, and is right now being governed and sustained by that great Creator who is working all things according to his divine purpose and will.
Once again, this passage is meant to engender humility in the people of God. To see and understand him rightly and who we are in relation to him. But this is not just a passage for the people of God—this is a reality for all people, whether they acknowledge the rule of the Creator or not. To sum it up… The pervasive providence of God humbles the arrogance of man.
As we examine this text, we will observe 3 realities revealed that I believe are intended by James to engender that humility. In this short paragraph, 3 things come to the front that, if we have ears to hear, should encourage us as we go about our lives in the day-to-day grind of life, through all of life’s various circumstances—arrogance, providence, and comfort.
The Absurd Arrogance of Man
James begins this powerful passage by identifying and calling out specific people—presumptively planning people. Now, because of his usage of commercial terms like “trade” and “profit”, some commentators and interpreters have concluded that the audience of this rebuke from James are merchants or business men only.
But, as we will see, this is not a rebuke against business, commerce, trade, and profit, but against the godless presumption of thinking that your life, future plans, and success rest in your own hands. What is in James’ sights is not marketing or investment strategies or desiring to make a good profit with your business, but rather the arrogant assumption that I can do just anything I want to do to achieve those goals: an attitude that is a particular temptation of the rich.
James has made a similar point earlier in this letter already. Remember all the way back in chapter 1…
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
—James 1:9–11
James’ burden in chapter 1 and again here in chapter 4 is to help us overcome our bent to arrogance. In both passages, he uses a word picture to remind us of who we really are. In chapter 1, he describes us like the flowers and grass that burn away—here one day and gone the next. And here in chapter 4, he makes the point even stronger, comparing us not to the organic, beautiful grass or flower, but to the mist—transient, wispy, hazy, fragile, temporary.
Behind the theoretical quote where the imagined characters make travel plans, lodging plans, and investment plans is the bold assumption that our future is knowable, durable, and controllable. But the image of the mist is meant to provoke our thoughts and to reorient our view of ourselves—we are not durable, reliable, sturdy, or unmovable, but are in fact finite, limited, frail creatures who are wholly and utterly dependent on the creator.
When you think of your life, when you think of where you are now and where you want to be in the future, what is the image you have? Oftentimes when we look into the future, figuring out what we should—should I take that job? Should I pursue that girl? Should I buy that house? Should I go to that school?—likely, we see the future as a foggy uncertainty. And it’s when we look into the future with those questions, we are reminded of our limitations. We are reminded again of our finitude. I can not know the future, I can not control the future, and the main fruit that I experience in that moment is anxiety.
What is anxiety but a fear of the future? What will happen next? What will be the results of those medical tests? How are we going to pay those bills? What does the future hold? The future is uncertain, misty, unknown. And in our attempt to calm those nerves of the unknown, we pretend to be something we’re not—in control. I will this or that, then we will do this or that, and then that will bring about peace. We act as though the future is certain in a vain attempt to wrestle control of the unknown, which James tells you is a fruitless and arrogant effort. The reason, James says, that the future seems misty to you, O man, is because you are mist yourself. The reason the future is unreliable is because you, O finite creature, are unreliable.
I wonder if James was in the audience when Jesus gave his famous sermon on the mount in Matthew 6…
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
—Matthew 6:27–34
Notice Jesus’ call to not fear the future. He calls you to not fear the future because there is nothing you can do to control it. Do not extend your fears out into the realm of the unknowable. Today has plenty of trouble for itself—don’t waste your fear on the future. Rather, humble yourself and understand yourself rightly—you are a creature, dependent, helpless, misty.
Again, James and Jesus are not saying to never plan. They are not saying to never schedule or think about the future—what they are calling you to do is to plan and schedule as a Christian, not a functional atheist. Do not assume that you can bring about your desired plans simply by your own means and by your own power. James has strong words for that attitude…
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
—James 4:16
Why is it evil? Because in your boasting about your plan, you deny the very one who is actually in control.
The Pervasive Providence of God
After describing the person who arrogantly declares what he will do today, tomorrow, and even over the next year, we are given an alternative…
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
—James 4:15
Notice the name given to the one in control. He does not command you to say, “If God wills…”, but rather “If the Lord wills…”. I believe that his word choice is intentional. While “God” could be interpreted as simply a religious deity that any spiritual person could claim, “Lord” implies a sovereign, a King. It implies a personal and involved ruler, not some transcendent, unknowable, far-off deity.
This is what James means to highlight in this passage—the pervasive providence of God. Now, if you’ve been around Emmaus Road Church for some measure of time, it is likely that you have noticed that we love the sovereignty of God. It is a defining feature of who we are—even defining the name of our denomination…Sovereign Grace Churches. The sovereignty of God is his right and power to do all that he wills. He has this right and power because he is the creator and thus ruler over all of creation.
But James means to push this truth even deeper. What he is describing in this passage is not just God’s sovereignty, but his providence. Providence is God’s purposeful sovereignty—not just his right and his might, but also his goal and purposes in all that he does. Look at Isaiah 46…
“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
—Isaiah 46:8–11
Notice not just his power and might, but also his purposes and ends for which he works all things. God’s providence is his act of purposefully providing for, sustaining, and governing the world.
The Heidelberg Catechism defines it helpfully in Q&A 27…
Q: What do you understand by the providence of God?
A: The almighty, everywhere-present power of God, whereby, as it were by his hand, He still upholds heaven and earth with all creatures, and so govern them that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things come not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.
—Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 27
Finally, the Belgic Confession succinctly says in Article 13…
We believe that this good God, after creating all things, did not abandon them to chance or fortune, but leads and governs them according to his holy will, in such a way that nothing happens in this world without God’s orderly arrangement.
—Belgic Confession Article 13
Last weekend, we had the joy of hosting our first theology seminar, defining and discussing the 5 points of Calvinism. The summary of that theological tradition can be summed up in 3 words: God saves sinners. The sovereignty of God being shown clear in the salvation of sinners.
And my guess is that most here would nod yes to that, agree with that, marvel at that, and praise God for his sovereign grace that pulled us up from the pit and saved us. We love to sing about and speak about and hear about the amazing gospel. But does God’s sovereignty extend out from there? What’s included in the “all things” in Isaiah 46? Yes, my salvation. But what about our lunch plans after church? What about our morning commute? What about how we spend our money? What about our college major? Does God’s providence and sovereignty extend to there as well? Even then, you might intellectually agree. But do we act and live accordingly?
James is clear. All that we do, all that we plan to do, all that we hope to do, is contingent on and dependent on the will of the Lord. Proverbs 16:9 makes this clear..
The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.
—Proverbs 16:9
We make our plans, but the LORD is the one who establishes the steps we actually take. Remember that incredible comforting passage in Psalm 139…
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
—Psalm 139:13–16
Notice what incredible truths are being revealed here. Not only the clear power and sovereignty of God, but notice too the intimacy and care of your creation. You are not a machine that was slammed together by robots on a conveyor belt in some far off factory created by a distant and uncaring deistic God. No, you were knit together, formed and woven together, by a caring and loving creator. Like a potter to his clay, he is intimately involved. And it is that same nearness, that same care that is also attached to his providence in your life—ordaining all your days before any of them came to be.
Question: do you live like that? Do you live in humble dependence on the God who is providentially working all things according to his will? Do we make plans (which we all must do) with the humble acknowledgment of the sovereign Lord? That is the question James means to ask each and every one of us.
A relevant example. Last month, Emmaus Road Church closed on 13 acres of land just to the south of us on Cliff. Now, you don’t close on 13 acres of farmland without any planning or forethought. The purchase of that land was dependent on a number of factors—the most significant being the incredible generosity of you all to make it possible to pay for that land in cash. But leading up to where we are now have been many, many steps of planning and praying for the future.
It has been the posture of the Elders of this church to take inventory of our current situation and our current needs, and to make plans that seem prudent and wise. But throughout this entire process, we have consciously been asking the Lord to give clarity, to give direction, and to accomplish his will through our plans. In short, we continue to take steps, but we do so not blindly or arrogantly, but by faith. Buying the land was just one step in a series of steps that have already been taken and that will be taken in the future. But we hold these plans loosely, and we remain open to pivoting if the Lord closes a door. Everything that has happened and will happen is not due to us, to our programs or skills or ability to draw a crowd, but simply and utterly because of the sovereign will of the Lord. And because of his providential work, he receives all the glory that is due to him.
Now one might object to the pervasive and comprehensive providence of God. One could ask, “If God is so in control and we are not, are we just robots controlled by fate? Are we just fatalists that say, ‘whatever is, must be’?” Charles Spurgeon answered this objection in typical Spurgeon fashion when he said…
There is a difference between [fate] and Providence. Providence says, Whatever God ordains must be; but the wisdom of God never ordains anything without a purpose. Everything in this world is working for some one great end. Fate does not say that. Fate simply says that the thing must be; Providence says, God moves the wheels along, and there they are. If anything would go wrong, God puts it right; and if there is anything that would move awry, he puts his hand and alters it. It comes to the same thing; but there is a difference as to the object. There is all the difference between fate and Providence that there is between a man with good eyes and a blind man. Fate is a blind thing; it is the avalanche crushing the village down below and destroying thousands. Providence is not an avalanche; it is a rolling river, rippling at the first like a rill down the sides of the mountain, followed by minor streams, till it rolls in the broad ocean of everlasting love, working for the good of the human race. The doctrine of Providence is not: what is, must be; but that what is works together for the good of our race, and especially for the good of the chosen people of God. The wheels are full of eyes; not blind wheels.
—Charles Spurgeon
So, to all who say “I choose to do what I want when I want”, James’ rebuke to you is humble yourself before the providential Lord over all. All things are working according to the plan and foreknowledge of God himself. While this is clear from the testimony of Scripture, what comfort is that to you and to me?
The Complete Comfort of Christ
If it is true that we are limited creatures, like a mist that appears for a moment and then vanishes, and that we are not in control—and if it is true that the Lord does sit in the heavens and does all that he pleases to bring about all that he wills…does that bring you comfort?
Imagine that all of that isn’t true. God is not providentially working all things for your good and you really are completely free to do whatever it is you desire? Is that a comfort to you? To tell you the truth, that terrifies me. I am constantly at war with my desires, because they are constantly leading me astray! If there is going to be anything holy or good or commendable from me, it is not going to come from me, but from the supernatural work of God through the Spirit producing fruits. The fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, etc—they find their source not in the flesh, but from the Spirit. In fact, these fruits are at war with the flesh, which makes them all the more miraculous. And because they are from him and him alone, he receives all the glory due him.
Remember what is the most often repeated command in all of Scripture? Do not fear. 365 times we are commanded by God to not fear. Well…why do we fear in the first place? Because we do not know what the future holds. And those 3 simple words “do not fear” are meant to engender faith and comfort to the fearful heart. But if God isn’t sovereign, and he isn’t providentially in command over all things, what comfort do those words actually bring? Just a wishful hope? No! The pervasive providence of God is the bedrock of all comfort. The antidote to fear and anxiety is faith in the one who is right now upholding all things by the word of his power. And our hope is not in the strength of our faith, but in the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
But it is here that our comfort is secured. Remember, God rules and reigns over all things. He is transcendent, majestic, and glorious. And while that is necessary to establish his power, how does the far-off King of the universe relate to me and my suffering? How can it be that he, in his power and glory, could care at all about me?
In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul offers this hope to the church…
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
—1 Corinthians 1:3–5
This, my friends, is the unique and majestic difference between our God and all the others. Yes, our God is in the heavens and yes, he does all that he pleases. But this is a great paradox of the Christian faith—that the creator God of the entire universe knows my name and your name and cares for me and you. But not only does he know us, but the incredible news of the gospel is that it pleased him to come to us, to those whom he had created, to those who rebelled against him, who to this day say “I am the master of my own life…I choose to do this or that…”, those who rejected him, despised him—and yet he came to us, while we were still that way, still sinners in rebellion, and took on our flesh. He shared in our humanity, in our likeness, in our weakness, in order to suffer and die in our place. How is it that he can be the God over all and the God of all comfort? Because of Christ, who suffered and died so that you and I might live.
The author of Hebrews is clear…
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
—Hebrews 4:14–16
The foundation of our comfort, of our hope, of our joy in the midst of trials of various kinds is the providence of God and the immanence of Christ our great High Priest. So draw near to that majestic throne of grace with confidence, my friends. Rest in the providence of God, and know that you have a loving and good Father who is right now working all things for your good and for his glory.