What does it mean to say, “If the Lord wills” (James 4:15)?

James 4:1–17 deals with a widespread problem of worldliness among believers. James warns that worldliness produces a critical and judgmental spirit (verses 11–12) and an ungodly, arrogant reliance on self (verses 13–17). He notes that some worldly people confidently plan out their future and boastfully do business with no regard for the will of God. To these, James counters, “Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (James 4:14–16, CSB).

To say, “If the Lord wills,” is to humbly recognize that our lives are in the hands of a sovereign God. Instead of boasting about tomorrow (as if we can somehow know the future), we accept that the Lord controls our lives and times, from the big moments to the small ones. Only He knows what each new day will hold for us (see Proverbs 27:1; Luke 12:16–20). When we say, “If the Lord wills,” we understand and embrace our fragile human condition—that we are “a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). We realize that we must place our complete dependence on the Lord and not on ourselves.

James is not suggesting that we dismiss planning from our lives altogether. The apostle Paul traveled and made ministry plans, but he was in the habit of including in his plans the saying, “If the Lord wills” (1 Corinthians 4:19, ESV; see also Acts 18:21; 1 Corinthians 16:7; Romans 1:10; 15:32). Warren Wiersbe writes, “Paul did not consider the will of God a chain that shackled him; rather, it was a key that opened doors and set him free” (The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2, Victor Books, 1996, p. 372).

We, like Paul, must seek God’s will in all our plans. If we sense that He desires a change of direction, we gladly surrender and adjust course. We do our best to stay in tune with what God wants, always listening for His voice (see Ephesians 5:17). We “don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform [us] into a new person by changing the way [we] think. Then [we] will learn to know God’s will for [us], which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2, NLT).

To say, “If the Lord wills,” is to follow these ancient words of wisdom:
It means accepting that we are not the captains of our destiny. As Christians, we say these words not as a mantra but because they reflect the continual posture of our hearts.

Jesus told His disciples, “My food . . . is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Our Savior came to carry out the Father’s will (John 5:30; 6:28; Matthew 26:39), and we are to follow His example.

Worldly thinkers say, “Let my own will be done; I am in control of my life.” They follow the way of the proud and the obstinate. But the servant of God always tries to “find out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). Paul wrote, “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do” (Ephesians 5:17, NLT).

To know God’s will, we must have a living, abiding relationship with the Lord (see John 14:26; 15:15; 16:13; Matthew 11:29). We seek to know Him in prayer and through spending time in His presence and studying His Word. Daily, we set aside our own will to obey Him unconditionally. We follow Paul’s advice and “as slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all [our] heart” (Ephesians 6:6, NLT). When we give up our worldly inclinations and depend on God with all our hearts, we’ve learned what it means to say, “If the Lord wills.”