Deo Volente!

By Dr. Ron Jones


Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.” James 4:15


This week Robert Novak was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Novak is a Washington insider and a syndicated columnist with the Chicago Sun-Times. According to one news source, Novak said he was suspending his journalistic work for an indefinite, “but God willing, not too lengthy period.”


We don't often hear the words "God willing" on the lips of journalists today. I don’t know if Mr. Novak is a God-fearing person or not, but a brain tumor certainly has a way of making all of us recognize how dependant we are on the Almighty.


The Latin words Deo Volente meaning “God willing” were common among the Puritans who came to America in search of religious freedom. Later, the Methodists also peppered their speech and correspondence with the phrase, signaling their dependence on the Lord by often signing their letters with the initials D.V. It was a simple reminder that all plans were subject to the Lord’s sovereign permission. Is it any wonder that the Puritan era and the Wesleyan revivals were golden times when God advanced his kingdom agenda?


Deo Volente is a good philosophy by which to live our lives. However, having the right heart attitude is more important than saying the right words. The last thing we need is another Christian cliché or more religious jargon to print on a t-shirt. We don’t need another bumper sticker to live out our faith. All of that is well and good, but I believe James is getting at something deeper.


“If the Lord wills” speaks to the reality of a transcendent God and to the relevance of God in our daily lives. The absence of it from our lips perhaps suggests we are not as dependent on the Lord as we think we are. We charge ahead with our own puny plans and expect God to bless them. Worse yet, we live like practical atheists, making plans and boasting about the future without acknowledging the sovereign hand of God in the daily affairs of life.


We are also a presumptuous nation, having pushed God to the periphery of our culture, kicked him out of the public schools, and said that he is not welcome in the public square or in our current political debate. If that isn’t enough to provoke the Lord, we have threaten to remove “in God we trust” from our currency and “under God” from the pledge we make to the American flag. No wonder the phrase “God willing” sounds strange to our modern ears.


Try something new this week. Start ending your email correspondence with the initials D.V. and see if it starts at least a conversation if not a revival.








Comments

thomas.crotty says:
Ron, great idea on the blogging...yes I think, as an weekly IBC attender (soon to be member), IBC needs to have insight into the new millineum connedtion modes. FIY, the US ARMY is now suggesting that we Soldiers blog as much as possible (Required for Command and General Staff College student) to tell our story to the world- media does have impact! Wanted you to know that I use Deo Volente on my signature block, a non-offensive way from a military professional point of view to get a conversation going...many have gone on to look up the translation, and then comment back (they sorta know my orientation as ROM 5:1 is also labeled and quoted. Not really ice breaking in a new setting, but definitely a door opening. Big difference between "preaching" and answering someone else's questions! take care - and God's Grace on you and the family MAJ Tom Crotty, USA

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