Can You Say God Willing?

I recently read The Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs. This is an account of a personal experiment carried out by Mr. Jacobs in which he attempts to live a year by adhering as strictly as possible in accordance with the various rules and regulations specified in the Bible. An often funny account, it also illustrates how disconnected the average Western person has become from their religious roots.

One thing caught my eye in the book. At one point the author starts adding the words "God willing" to every future tense sentence. This was apparently in accordance with Proverbs 27:1 which states "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." As a Muslim I found this most interesting because most Muslims as a matter of routine add "God willing" (actually its Arabic equivalent InshaAllah) whenever they have to commit to an action in the future. For most Muslims, this is a routine and natural statement said without any hesitation or embarrassment but it was obvious from reading the book that the author and his family were uncomfortable with his saying it.

This got me to thinking why this could be so. Can it be that people in the West are uncomfortable with the idea that they are not completely in control of their lives? Why is it easier to say f--k for example than to say God willing? Anyone got any idea?