Many see the month of January as a fresh start and an opportunity to make plans and adopt new habits, and according to the Pew Research Center, most resolutions have to do with health, finances, and relationships. Our modern culture encourages resolutions and self improvement, but what does the Bible have to say about plans and resolutions? Does God reproach making plans since He is ultimately in control and knows what will happen already, or does He rejoice when we carefully plan for the future? James 4:13-15 says, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” James reminds us that we ultimately have no control over the future no matter our plans. Our plans depend completely on God, and if they work the way we intended, it’s only because God allowed it. The verse itself says “we will go” not “let us go” highlighting the arrogance of these people who make their decisions apart from God. However, James is not rebuking making plans and being prepared, but he is simply saying that when making decisions, we need to be conscious of God’s control and not make decisions apart from God. For example, Luke 14:28 says, “‘Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?’” This verse clearly shows that Jesus does not rebuke planning, but he actually encourages planning when we do it correctly with Him in mind. A great example of a man in the Bible who keeps this principle is Paul. Paul is never planning apart from God, and he always remembers to think or say “If the Lord permits.” For example, in 1 Corinthians 16:7 Paul says, “‘I hope to stay a while with you, if the Lord permits.’” Therefore, when making our plans and resolutions for the new year, let us not forget to consciously include God in our plans, praying to Him for guidance and remembering that he ultimately will determine the outcome.
