Living Daily in Humble Dependence on God

Bible Passage: James 4:13–17

I. Introduction

II. Background

1. James is writing this letter to the Jewish believers scattered outside Jerusalem.
Notice, these believers were not idle.
2. Their suffering, displacement, and success also created a spiritual loophole/blindsight.

a. The Problem: Godless Planning (James 4:13)

“Today or tomorrow, we will go to this city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make money.”

i. At first glance, this sounds perfectly reasonable. It sounds like strategic planning, hard-working, visionary.
ii. But notice what is missing? There is no mention of God

• They speak as if time belongs to them, opportunity belongs to them, tomorrow belongs to them

iii. This is not atheism in belief— it is atheism in practice. Some scholars call it as Functional Atheism.
“Belief without practical dependence on God.” Tim Keller

b. Our Limitation: Our Ignorance of tomorrow (James 4:14)

“You do not even know what will happen tomorrow.”

i. Like them, we often make plans with confidence. But no matter how advanced we become or how carefully we plan, we cannot control what will happen tomorrow.
ii. He reminds them, our lives are like morning mist— visible, meaningful, beautiful— yet brief, fragile, and fleeting.
iii. This truth is not to depress us. It is meant to humble us.

c. God is absolutely sovereign

i. God is sovereign over history, nations, kings, events, and our personal futures. This should transform how we live.
ii. Nothing surprises Him. Nothing happens outside His providence. This is our theological foundation/our understanding upon which we must be built our life upon.

Proverbs 16:9 declares, “The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”  Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

• No matter how carefully we strategies, no matter how thoroughly we prepare, it is ultimately God’s purpose that will stand.

iii. God is not a consultant we invite into our plans. He is the Lord to whom we submit our plans.

d. The proper response: Humble submission (4:15)

“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

i. This is not a magic phrase or spiritual jargon
Jame is teaching them a heart posture of surrender, a genuine acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over every aspect of their existence.
ii. We plan responsibly, using the wisdom and insights God has given us. But we surrender humbly, holding all our plans with open hands (surrender), ready to release them the moment God indicates a different direction other than our plan.

e. The warning of prideful planning (4:16)

“You boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.”

i. This is strong language—not only misguided or foolish, but evil. Why?

• Because prideful planning is a form of idolatry. It places self on the throne that belongs to God alone.

ii. Pride looks at our accomplishments and sees only our effort, our intelligence, our determination—while forgetting that even our ability to work and think and plan comes from God.
iii. The Scriptures are filled with warnings about this kind of pride – King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:30ff).
iv. The warning is clear throughout Scripture: God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).

f. Knowing and not obeying (James 4:17)

“If anyone knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin.”

i. James is saying to his audience that it is not enough to know intellectually that God is sovereign over our future. It is not sufficient to affirm the doctrine in our statement of faith and ignoring it in daily decisions.
ii. It is not enough to say we believe God controls tomorrow while living as though we control tomorrow. To know the truth and not live by it is sin.
iii. To ignore God’s will in our planning is not a minor issue. But James calls it sin. It is rebellion against God’s revealed truth.
iv. It is functional atheism/practical atheism—living as though God does not exist or does not matter in the decisions we make.

g. Practical Applications: Aligning our plans with God

i. Submit Every Plan to God in Prayer
ii. Examine the Motives of Your Heart
iii. Hold Plans with Open Hands
Iv. Trust God Even When Plans Fail

h. Gospel reminder: Our Hope is not in perfect planning

i. Our hope is not in perfect planning. Our hope is in God’s sovereign grace revealed in Jesus Christ.
ii. Jesus is the one person who lived a perfect life in complete submission to the Father’s will (Luke 22:42).
iii. Because Christ submitted fully to the Father’s will even unto death, we can rest fully in God’s sovereign purposes for our lives, knowing that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28)
iv. This means our failures in submission do not have the final word. When we confess our prideful planning and trust in Christ’s perfect obedience, God forgives us and transforms us.

• His grace empowers us to grow in humble dependence. His Spirit enables us to increasingly align our will with His will.

Takeaways

1. Renounce self-sovereignty and consciously submit every plan to God’s Will.
2. Practice daily humble dependence on God (Coram Deo) in thought, decision, and action.