The Bible warns us against presuming on tomorrow when it says “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knoweth not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1). We are not forbidden to plan for or to think about tomorrow, but we are told not to presume upon it. Instead we are told we should live each day with the consciousness that tomorrow may not be ours. It is so easy, in the hustle and bustle of life, to forget this.
It is both a blessing and a curse that we do not know what tomorrow will bring forth. If we knew the future our lives would be filled with either fear or boredom. Wouldn’t life be dull if we knew the future? What place would there be for adventure and exploration? If the future were known, life would be like watching an old late-night movie that we’ve seen before. It would lose its excitement because the outcome would already be known. Not only would it take the edge off each day’s living if there were no unknown tomorrows, but we’d also be so terrified about the tragedies and disappointments that we knew were ahead that we could not enjoy today.
But if the unknown future is a blessing, it is also a responsibility. Abraham Lincoln planned to join the old New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1865, but he was assassinated two days earlier and never had a chance to do it.
Since we do not know what shall happen tomorrow, we must do today what we know God wants us to do. To delay may mean your opportunity is forever lost.