“Our Father God desires to see us mature from a place of spiritually-ignorant independence to a place of growing spiritual dependence on Him.”
How amazing to see the rainbow after a summer shower or to try to memorize the colors of a stunning sunset or sunrise on the beach! These creations touch some deep part of us, yet they have no real content—being mere meteorological phenomena caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light as it deals with air molecules or water droplets.
James’ simile of our life here on Earth being “like a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes” should cause us to stop and seriously consider. Charles Spurgeon warns us, “It is great folly to build hopes on what may never come. It is madness to risk everything on the unsubstantial future.” Spurgeon goes on in his commentary, “…these vapors, especially at the time of sunset, are exceedingly brilliant. They seem to be magnificence itself when the sun paints them with heavenly colors. But in a little while they are gone, and the whole panorama of the sunset has disappeared. Such is our life….soon the cloud and the color in it are both gone.”
In James 4:13-14, James cautions us as to our presumption of days. It is only in my imagination that I control my life. I may believe that I am constructing good plans and “seeking God’s will.” How subtly I insert my own! Here’s the test which may reveal my heart—How do I react when my plans get changed? Do I end up bowing my spiritual knee to God’s will?
James 4:15 gives us explicit instructions: Say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”
When I fail to acknowledge God as the rightful controller in my life, I show a blatant disregard for His Holy Spirit’s leading. Jesus prayed for the Spirit’s leading when he said, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The Holy Spirit accomplishes the Father’s will on this earth, often through us.
As a Mother, I have watched my children mature from a place of physical dependence upon their parents into a place of growing independence. This is good.
Our Father God desires to see us mature from a place of spiritually-ignorant independence to a place of growing spiritual dependence on Him. This is vital and very good.
Charles Spurgeon sums it up well: “Therefore, if this life is unsubstantial as a vapor — and nobody can deny the fact — let us regard it as such, and let us seek for something substantial elsewhere. Unless we purposely live with a view to the next world, we cannot make much out of our present existence.”
I wonder if the meteorological mix of light, air, and water we admire in a sunset may be an example on another level. God’s Spirit mixes that Light of the World, who is the air we breathe, and the Living Water, which we so desperately need, and creates a spiritual phenomenon in our inner being which is a stunning thing for others to behold!