Confidence

Confidence

The other day I was listening to the sound track from “The Sound of Music. “  Julie Andrews, as Maria, was singing “I Have Confidence.”  Maria sings this song as she goes to assume her new position as governess of the Von Trapp children. She had been dismissed from the convent because she had trouble conforming to convent rules, and though she’s always longed for adventure, she’s nervous about her new role.  In the song, she’s giving herself a pep talk; she tries to assure herself that she’ll live up to the expectations she has for herself, and as a result, the children will mind her and everything will turn out fine.

“I have confidence in confidence alone, besides which, you see, I have confidence in me!” she sings.

It sounds like she’s trying to “fake it till she makes it.”

Confidence is defined as: the feeling that you can trust, believe in, or be certain about the abilities or good qualities in someone/something.

When we talk about being confident in something, there is an element of boldness and assurance associated with it. When I think of trust, I think of a little child depending on a parent to take care of everything.  But the word “confidence,” in my mind, paints a picture of a smiling, composed individual strutting into a room and letting everyone know in no uncertain term “how the cow ate the cabbage.”

That composed individual would not be me.  I certainly don’t have confidence in ME. 

Sometimes I’m more like Joseph’s brothers in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat,” who fear that their worst nightmare (Joseph ruling over them) just might come true.

“The dreams, of course, will not come true,

At least we think they won’t come true,

At least we hope they won’t come true.

What if he’s right all along?”

(Can you tell that musicals have been at the top of my playlist recently?)

I don’t have a boatload of confidence that my biggest dreams will materialize. I just hope my worst fears won’t come true.  I know better than to have confidence in myself.  I am well aware of my shortcomings. I’m also well aware that no matter what skills I do have, no matter what I AM capable of doing, there’s always going to be someone who can do a better job than I can.

Recently I read a magazine article about How to Have Confidence. It claimed that women are often less confident than men because we are not encouraged to take risks. We are taught to downplay our abilities because we want to be liked.  The article suggested remedies such as standing up straight, taking a deep breath, and doing some self-talk to convince yourself you’re brave (kind of like Maria.)

These are all good suggestions, but I have better remedy for my knocking knees. I put no confidence in my flesh (my human abilities), but I will trust in the Lord my God.

“Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.  Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.”  II Corinthians 3:4-5

The Apostle Paul had a great resume and had every reason to trust in his own abilities, training, lineage, and social standing.  Yet he said that he “put no confidence in the flesh.” Phil. 3:3 He depended on God to enable him to do the job God called him to do.

But what can we confidently believe that God will do for us? Obviously, we can’t just dream up something we’d like to have and then “name it and claim it” and expect God to give it to us.

The Bible names some things we can confidently, without a doubt, depend on:

1.       God loves us and offers us salvation through Jesus Christ.  We don’t need to worry that God doesn’t love us or fear His judgment after we die.

“So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God and God in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the Day of Judgment, because as He is—so also are we in this world.”  I John 4:17

The Greek word that is translated “confidence” is “parresia.” It means free and fearless confidence; cheerful courage, boldness, assurance.

2.       God is approachable; we can come to him to receive mercy, grace, and help.  There’s no need to hesitate; He will not turn us away.

 “Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16

“(Christ Jesus our Lord)….in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him.”  Eph. 3:12

3.       God will answer our prayers. 

“And this is the confidence we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And we know that if He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests we have asked from Him.”  I John 5:14

“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.” I John 3:22

And lest we become nervous and fearful that God is somehow difficult to please,---that we have to jump through a series of hoops to have our needs met and our petitions approved—that He’s a difficult God who’s just waiting for us to mess up so that He can stamp a big, fat “Reject” sign on our prayer requests---the next verse tells us “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.” I John 3:23 (It doesn’t seem too complicated!)

4.       And---even better---we don’t have to launch a huge self-improvement campaign in order to be pleasing to Him.  We just have to let Him do His work in us. The Bible says “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil. 1:6 “Confidence” here is a translation of the Greek word “peitho,” meaning “persuaded.” 

5.       God does not mean for us to be wimpy and cowering.  He gave us His powerful Holy Spirit to live in us and to enable us to do the job He’s called us to do. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7

So….God loves me. If I have put my faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, I won’t have to stand trembling before Him on the Judgment Day, wondering if I’ve been good enough.  I can approach Him, and He will give me mercy, grace, and help.  He will answer my prayers.  He will give me power through the working of the Holy Spirit.  He is at work in my life, maturing and perfecting me.

But sometimes I’m just plain afraid of other people. What will they think of me? What harm might they do to me? 

6.       We can be confident that God is more powerful that any person who might seek to harm us. The author of Hebrews says, “So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5)

In other words, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”  And God’s not going to be stingy with His help or His love. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” Romans 8:31-32

“Though an army encamps against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise against me, yet I will be confident.” Ps. 27:3

7.       We don’t need to walk in fear, as if we were victims of random tragedies of life.  Nothing can touch us without God’s permission.  He is able to protect us.  He is our refuge in the storms of life.

“    For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” Proverbs 3:26

“In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge.” Proverbs 14:26.

Love and Security

Salvation

Mercy and grace

Help

Growth and Refinement

Power

Protection

Refuge…

All these are ours.

Awhile back I got a phone call from a lady I had recently met.  She asked me to substitute for an ESL class for some Korean ladies.  I wasn’t her first choice of subs, but everyone else she’d asked was unavailable.  Well, I had the time, but I’d never taught ESL, I didn’t have the study book, I didn’t know anything about Asian languages or cultures, I hadn’t met the students, I was unfamiliar with the location, and I didn’t even know the teacher very well. I said I would do it if someone came with me.  (Kind of like Moses; I needed my Aaron.) I didn’t think too much about it; probably no one else would go along and I’d be off the hook. Right? Well, someone else did say yes, so I took that to mean that the Lord wanted me to go, too.  I had no confidence in my ability, but I figured the Lord would show up and enable me to do the work He had planned….or…do His work in spite of my inadequacy.  The whole experience turned out to be such a blessing for me. I met some precious sisters in Christ, and God’s work was accomplished.

I want to walk in boldness. I want my faith to be more than just a tentative, passive faith.  I want my life to display the calm assurance that God is in control. Instead of turning my thoughts inward and mulling over my inadequacies, I want to look upward and meditate on His Greatness.

There’s nothing all that great about me. But forget about me; let me introduce you to my Lord, who is All-Loving, All-Powerful, All-Wise, All-Seeing, Approachable, Strong, and Faithful.  I have no confidence in me, but I do have confidence that MY GOD IS ABLE to do what He says He will do.

Questions to consider:

1. Was there a time in your life when God was calling you to action, but you lacked confidence?

2. What do you fear? What verses can remind you to put your confidence in God?

3.  What might God be calling you to step out in confidence and do today?