Confidence

I think David (in the Bible) was one of those people that would have totally intimidated me – while at the same time intrigued me. So expressive, flamboyant, and brave – but also a deep thinker, remorseful, and ever faithful to God.

Confidence has been a word on my heart as of late. As I pondered the word initially, thinking of the season I am currently in, my thought was: it doesn’t describe me. Then a gentle nudge that maybe the word I need is Godfidence. All my wandering thoughts and fears are because I am human, and my confidence can’t be in me. But it can be in Jesus – because He is perfect love, perfect peace, perfect strength – and He is perfecting me.

Psalm 27 is the only one where David uses the word confident. He starts and ends with it. Being stalked by those against him, he turns it over to God: “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.” (Psalm 27:3 NIV)

Though David faced actual armies, we face our own battles. They cause us to grow weary, to want to give up, or run away. He could pen those words because he was turning his focus towards God. In the very next verse, he dispels fear with all God has done, is doing, and will do.

Today my favorite author, Holley Gerth, posted a blog that brought this full circle for me. She said, “I realized I thought I wanted a solution but what I really needed was to surrender.” It’s true, but sometimes we see a quote like that, and we don’t really know how – not completely.

The beauty of it is how she concluded: “Surrender is often a process, not an event.” I encourage you to read her post if you’re in a place where you feel lost or stuck (https://holleygerth.com/two-sentence-prayer/) David reached the same conclusion at the end of Psalm 27: “I am confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (vs 14)