If the Creek Don't Rise

Being a Tennessee girl, I have been raised with many colorful southern “sayings.” I will on occasion discuss these clever phrases and how they relate to the bible.

     As you have probably guessed by now, we southerners can’t always give a simple answer to a simple question. When you ask somebody to do something for you at a later time, you expect to hear a yes, no, or maybe as an answer. But if you’re in the south, you might just hear, “Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.”
     Growing up in East Tennessee, I had heard this phrase many times. I didn’t think about what that phrase really meant until I got older and (hopefully) wiser. I just thought that phrase was supposed to funny and cute. I was so wrong for there’s a big meaning behind that phrase.

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” Proverbs 27:1(NIV)

    In other words, don’t take the future for granted. Only God knows what his plans for tomorrow are and they may or may not be the same as ours. So when somebody answers you with, “Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise,” be rested assured. As long as it’s ialso n God’s plans, they’re going to do whatever they promised you.