If you want to make God laugh, just tell God your plans. Or to put it more piously according to the Imitation of Christ: Man proposes; God disposes. In the Arab world there is a custom of adding “inshallah” — “God willing” — to any announcement of what will happen tomorrow. Many other cultures have a similar custom. The Bible would see such customs as necessary. God is in charge. We are not. However, the Bible would not have us be fatalistic or passive. God’s will is woven into creation. The Biblical attitude is captured in a quote usually attributed to St. Augustine: Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.
MAY182016
By Church Staff
