What a way to end/start the year.........

Just a week before everyone was happily thinking about how to celebrate the new year, what to do, where to go, thinking of how good 2004 has been,....etc etc....and suddenly the tsunami happened and it was just before 2004 ended. Within a few days things change so drastically. Just imagine those ppl who are happily diving in Penang and Phuket thinking abt how to celebrate New years, and all of a sudden they are dead and not only them.....a few hundred thousand ppl are also dead. But then maybe its just natures way of controlling the population growth in the world. We have approx 6 billion ppl and a few hundred thousand is small relative to the world population. A not so extreme example is, shi mei who went to KL and will be spending the new years day there, and suddenly the prime ministers cancels all the new year celebrations...so nothing to look forward to during the new year. My friend Ian, who just finished his SPM (O-levels) and was so looking forward to life after high school, suddenly was admited to hospital a few hours before the 1st of jan because his intestines somehow got stuck and he is now in extreme pain in Kl. And to think that, just a few days ago i was chatting with him on msn and he was so looking forward to start work and go to college, really really saddens me. All of a sudden, the failure in one of my subs doesnt seem to be such a big deal. The point is, why does God suddenly decide to destroy everyones hope of remembering 2004 as a good year? Ian for example could have remembered 2004 as the year where he finished his 11 years of school, the year where he finish his SPM, and the new year wil mark the beginning of a new phase of his life where he goes into college. And just a few hours before the new year, God destroys his hope and and the good memories of 2004.
The first verse that came to mind was....James 4:13-16 ... 'Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money." You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you should say, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live - and do this or that." But you boast about your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.'
I believe most of us are guilty of what the verse is trying to address. In a way, God is reminding us that life is uncertain and our lives are in HIS hands(which we sometimes do not like to acknowledge). we always tend to think we are so great, coming up with Great plans but yet we do not acknowledge Gods authority over us. Our intentions and plans are birthed from our own selfish desires and not centered on GOD.
The next vs....vs 17 gives a strong warning...."Therefore, anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin." I dont know bout u guys but this verse seriously got me thinking abt myself. We plan this and that, do not acknowledge God, and now James says we sin when we know what we are suppose to do not do it. So sin is not only doing wrong but also not doing what is right.
Anyway after all these disasters and tragedies, its a good reminder how dependent are we on God. Everyday we live by Gods grace. The fact that we can wake up and live a life shows how much grace God showers us with everyday. Keeping this in mind, it is good to realise that if its Gods will, we can all die the next second. But we are not dead....we are still alive. This fact should be enough to convict us on how we should live our life...For GOd and for HIS glory.....Amen
Lets us be comforted by the fact that in everything GOd is in control and everything happens for the good of us. Because of that, i trust that through all these disasters Gods divine plan is being executed for our good and lets pray that Gods glory will be seen through this dark period.