I’ve spent many years learning to trust God when it wasn’t easy to do. I suspect many of us could say the same thing. We fear something so we worry. We might even know that worry is a lack of trust that God can handle our concerns or fears. But we worry anyway.
The other morning I pulled up a verse that my assistant had made into a graphic for me. I had been reading through Isaiah and came across it and liked the verse, so sent it off to her. When I pulled it up to share with my readers, I wrote a short comment to go with it and almost hit “Share” when I looked at the verse one more time.
“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15A) (Emphasis mine.)
Perhaps it’s the artistic nature in me that lacks confidence in my abilities. But the verse isn’t talking about confidence in ourselves. Self-confidence isn’t a bad thing, but how much firm trust (confidence) do we have in the God who made us to see us through life’s tougher times?
I will admit that my confidence wavers when I want to see an outcome.
If I need self-confidence, I want to prove to myself that I can finish that book or make it for the tenth time around the circle on my bike.
I lack confidence in me when I look for the approval of other people.
I lack confidence in God when I look for the answers to my prayers right now.
I want to see Him working. I want to know what He’s doing behind the scenes. I want in on the conversation. I want to know when and how and why. And it’s easy to distrust Him when He doesn’t share those things with me.
None of us can see beyond this moment. We don’t know if the future is going to go the way we hope and we don’t know if God is going to answer our prayers.
Some might say we are foolish to trust in what we cannot see.
But you know, when I read that verse, it made me pause. I realized that it wasn’t just trust that I needed, but confidence that the God I know keeps His Word.
If He has made a promise in Scripture, He will keep it. If He has given us biblical reasons to hope, we can have confidence that He will not leave us hopeless.
He promised to never leave us or forsake us. Know with confidence that He never will.
He promised to complete the work He began in us. Know with confidence that He absolutely will do so.
He promised to one day return to this earth and make all things knew. He promised to make beauty from ashes. He promised we would find Him if we truly seek Him with all of our hearts.
We can always be confident in Him, if we are willing to return to Him as His children and rest in Him. Like leaning your head on your Father’s shoulder, we lean into God and we just know He’s got this. He’s got what’s troubling you and what’s concerning me.
Selah~
#livegrace #confidenceingod #trustinthelord #inquietnessandconfidence #returntothelord
