"For that ye ought to say, IF the Lord will we shall live and do this or that." - James 4:15
Have you ever thought about Life? Life is a gift and it is so wonderful to wake up every day and be alive! God gives us principles throughout His Word about living life in such a way that it can be enjoyed. Life is also fragile. We are all learning how fragile life, plans, future, and many things that we take for granted really are in every day life. When you look at the word life, the middle two letters spell "IF." All of life and our plans for life should have an important "If" attached to it. "IF THE LORD WILL."
I had the privilege to pastor an elderly lady for a few years when we lived in London, England. She was a wonderful Christian lady who passionately loved the Lord and her church family. She was gracious to our family and would often times buy our children little presents and write a precious note to accompany those gifts. Every Christmas, she would give me a tie and would write a long note. I cherish those memories. I had the privilege to preach her funeral and to share the gospel with her family when she went Home to Heaven.
Every time she would write a letter to me, she would close the letter with her signature and with these two letters next to her name: DV. After receiving a couple of letters from her, curiosity got the best of me. I asked her, "What do these two letters next to your name mean?" She told me something that would change my perspective forever. Deo Volente is Latin for God Willing. Every letter she would write would have this next to her signature, because she realized that her entire life was based on a big IF. Her entire perspective of life was I will do this or that, only if God wills me to do this or that!
I knew that somewhere, someone had taught her the principle from James 4:15. All of our plans, all of our travel, all of our future outlook, and all of our desires should be predicated by the Lord's Will. I believe during this time of disruption in all of our lives, God is teaching us an important lesson: He is the Master of our Calendar. He alone is God and we should live our lives each day with a huge IF right in the middle of our plans! When life returns back to normal, it is my sincere prayer that we do not return back to presumptuous living. May God use this Divine Pause to turn the calendar of our lives back over to Him and live L-IF-E with a recognition that He really is in control!
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.” - Ephesians 5:15-16