Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

This immediately brings to mind the extremely similar passage in James 4:13-16. The point is, as this verse says explicitly, that we don’t know the future, and need to acknowledge that. It’s not that we aren’t to plan, but rather that we aren’t to pin our hopes and expectations on temporal events. That seems contrary to the very definition of “expectation,” but the point is that our hope is to be in God, who alone is assured. Events can go any which way, and probably will, but if our focus is on God who never changes, we can have stability and peace. There is a Country Gospel song that, because of the style of music, probably turns some people off, but has a lot of wisdom: One Day at a Time. I can’t even hear it in my mind without a twang in the lyrics, but it speaks great wisdom to this whole issue, advising us to ask God for grace, faith, and patience to take things as they come and not try to live in some idealized future we dream up. The very definition of “frustration” is when things don’t turn out like we expect them to. Releasing everything into God’s hands is certainly the only genuine way to avoid that.

We are certainly in training in this area, but then, everyone has lessons in it rather frequently! False expectations are the enemy of gratitude, and gratitude is the key to happiness. Disappointments are real and are a part of life, but we need to allow them to teach us to trust God and nothing less. I’ve had to learn that I can’t even trust myself to be right consistently! I fail myself physically, mentally, and spiritually all too often. That has taught me just how amazing God’s grace really is. There are many things that I would like to happen. If they do, I rejoice, and if they don’t, I’m disappointed. The point is to peg my emotional state more and more on Christ Himself and not on what is going on around me. As it says so beautifully in Hebrews 12:2, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” When I really remember that my eternity is assured for me in heaven with my Lord, then everything else fades to insignificance.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for Your plans for today. Help me recognize them and flow with Your Spirit, not setting up demands in my mind but allowing You to bless me, and bless others through me, as You see fit, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!