A Sure Confidence

Confidence is usually defined as a firm trust and assurance, found either in an internal or an external source.  Using this definition, confidence is then a fount of conviction and faith, whether in self or in another.  For Christians, confidence finds a sure and definite root, which is Christ.  Any other genesis of confidence apart from that which is found in the Lord is thus a lesser confidence that will prove itself wanting and scant in the end.

Rooting confidence in the Lord is a matter of supreme importance.  Drawing our confidence from the well of the Lord offers more than mere surety.  In reality, when we find the basis for our assurance and security in the Lord, we will be most expertly equipped to handle any of life's scenarios and situations.  David writes, in one of the most well-known passages in all of Scripture, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Psa. 23:4)."

This is the essence of confidence: no matter what  the overwhelming circumstances of any situation may be, we will be sure and assured in that God is keeping us.  Our ability to press into the Lord and to claim His character as our confidence is reliant on our ability to set aside our own confidence in favor of the Lord.  Simply put, in order for us to secure our confidence in the Lord, we must relinquish the value of our own confidence.  We must let go of self-confidence that has no lasting merit and will fail, in order to grasp confidence in the Lord, which is infinitely sure because it is based on an infinite God.

Scripture supports the value of placing our confidence in the Lord (Pro. 3:26; Psa. 3:6, 27:1-3, 56:4-11, 118:6; Heb. 13:6; 1 John 2:28, 5:14).  The infinitude and omnipotence of the Lord is what makes Him secure and the sole perfect source of confidence. He is the solid rock on which we stand and the place that we place the whole of our trust.  When we do this, we will be made perfectly secure, not because of anything within ourselves, but because of who He is, which is the infinite and holy Lord.

At the final analysis, confidence is one of the most powerful driving forces and sustaining strengths that God has blessed humanity with.  Moreover, confidence is dependent on a source.  Because God is who He is, being omnipotent and infinite, He is the surest and truest source of confidence for all who desire to be truly confident.  If our confidence is not rooted in the Lord, who is imperishable and infinite, but is found in ourselves or others, being perishable and finite, then our confidence will inevitably fail due to the inadequate source of our confidence.  Let us then press in to the Lord as the sole and sure source of our confidence that we might be made secure in any circumstance!