A Certain Confidence

“Blessed is the man . . whose confidence is in [God].” Jeremiah 17:7 NIV

Confidence is the knowledge you will have what you need, to do what you need to do.”

My thoughts today are about a “certain confidence.”

Living without confidence makes life more difficult than it needs to be. Usually, a person’s confidence is a bit of a mixed bag – confident in some areas and not so much in others. There will be people and experiences that build confidence in your life, encouraging and assuring you, along with your own experiences of success that provide reasonable expectations for future accomplishment. But there are also a lot of things that happen to shake your confidence, and there are always people along the way who don’t help you develop much, even ones that should.

Have you ever wondered what makes some people confident while others struggle so much with that? I think confidence is the knowledge that you will have what you need to have, to do what you need to do. Life experience, a good education, a supportive family and circle of friends, past successes, and a healthy sense of self-esteem certainly help your level of confidence. But I would suggest one thing more that you will need; you need a reliable source of help beyond yourself in addition to all the things I just mentioned.

Your confidence needs to be centered in God! Read Romans 8:35-39 NKJV. The Bible states it this simply: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like . .” Read Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV. Jeremiah then describes such a person: having permanence, being in a good place, enjoying reliable and sufficient resources, reflecting stability, unshaken by adversity, and remaining fruitful throughout difficult times. Is that the kind of person you would hope to be?

Those are the characteristics that should and can describe you; but you must choose to place and keep your trust and confidence in God. “For You have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you . .” Psalm 71:5-6 NIV. The earlier you learn the true source of assurance, the easier you’ll discover real confidence. Paul found his confidence in Christ, “For I know Whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day.” 2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV.

The preceding verses describe a far different confidence: “. . who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He will be like . .” See Jeremiah 17:5-6 NIV. The contrast in this person’s situation and success is vivid and shocking: vulnerable to surroundings, unproductive, not prospering as others, and altogether on their own. If they have any confidence at all, it is a false confidence, more imagined than real.

Jesus told a story about people whose confidence was in themselves alone. Read Luke 18:9-14 NIV. When your heart is confident before God, you can live with courage and confidence in front of everyone and in everything. Read Psalm 27:10/13-14 NIV. “We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we can do anything of lasting value by ourselves. Our only power and success come from God.” 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 NLT.

My prayer for you today is that­­­­ your complete confidence rests squarely on God.