“For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength…” – Isaiah 30:15, NKJV

Growing up, I was not a confident person.

I used to really admire my confident peers.

That was until I discovered that no one is born confident; it’s a life-skill that one must learn along the way.

I’m not yet as confident as I want to be but at least I am not what I was.

The dictionary defines confidence as the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something or can be sure about one’s abilities or good qualities.

In another context, being confident means having the assurance  that something will happen in the way that you want or expect.

It is universally accepted that being confident is an important personality trait for success.

Indeed, one of the most important qualities of a good parent is the ability to raise confident children.

The best bosses are good at instilling confidence in their team.

In our meditation today, the Bible says that confidence in God is a sure source of mental and spiritual strength.

“In quietness and confidence shall be your strength,” it says.

David had an impressive air of confidence about him right from childhood.

He declared that the LORD has been “my confidence since my youth” (Psalm 71:5, NIV).

As Christians, our spiritual confidence is the effect of Christ’s righteousness operating in our hearts (see Isaiah 32:17).

To have this kind of confidence is to be imperturbable, like a well-armed soldier.

In Christ Jesus our Lord, “we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him”

EPHESIANS 3:11-12

The Greek word used for ‘confidence’ denotes ‘comprehensive insurance’ – the unwavering trust in God for the fulfillment of all His promises.

Additionally, confidence is related to hope in the sense that it is an inner feeling based on confident expectation.

It’s akin to the feeling you have inside when you are sure that what you have is the genuine land title for the plot of land.

Abraham was consistently full of that kind of confidence in God.

He never wavered at the promise of God; rather, “he was fully persuaded that what God had promised He was also able to perform,” says the Bible.

When there was contention with Lot over land, Abraham asked Lot to go ahead and choose the part of land that he wanted.

By doing this, Abraham showed absolute confidence in God’s continuing providence as per His earlier promise.

In Psalm 27:3, David declared that though an army was to lay an ambush against him, his heart would not fear.

Though a war was to break out against him, “he would remain confident.”

Like David experienced it, the joy of confident trust in God cannot be described in words.

By placing our struggles and troubles into God’s hands, we can always rest in His sovereign will for our lives.

Worries about tomorrow can be laid aside, for the Lord holds our future and life is worth a living because He lives!

The apostle Paul made that exact point in his epistle to the Ephesians.

He said that in Christ Jesus our Lord, “we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:11-12).

It is this confidence toward God that enables us to pray and receive whatever we ask for because He always hears us (1 John 3:21-22, 5:14).

Be confident in God!

Prayer:

Almighty God, You have been my confidence since my youth. I have the blessed assurance that you are my God. May this confidence always be my strength now and forever more, Amen!