Worry about Tomorrow

“I’m confused. Should I make plans for the future or should I just live today and trust God for tomorrow?”—Anne

The simple answer is “Yes!” Today is all you have, so make the most of every opportunity to live, love, learn, serve, share, celebrate, work well and play freely. Little is gained by worrying excessively about a tomorrow that you cannot control (Matt. 6:25, 34).

At the same time, life in this world requires (for most of us, at least) that we prepare for the future, planning for our education and career, saving some money and investing wisely, and setting something aside for later years of life. Our plans may and often do change, and change presents challenges of its own, but some kind of plan is typically better than no plan at all.

The question goes beyond simply whether or not we have a plan, however. The issue also involves matters of attitude and faith. James warns against making plans in a cocky, cavalier fashion (James 4:13-16). We are not told in this text to give up our plans and live only for today, but we are reminded that we neither know the future nor control the length of our days. Thus, we should face the future with a little humility and a lot of faith. James enjoins us to seek the will of the One who holds the future.

We may consider the issue in light of Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:11, 19-34). He taught His followers to trust God for “today’s bread” and to keep their priorities straight: “Store up treasures in heaven . . . put God first in your life . . .then stop worrying. Trust this God who knows what you really need to provide for today and tomorrow.”