Your Daily Devotional for April 14, 2006

April 14, 2006

 

Confidence

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.”

 

Psalm 118:6, 8, 9

 

The Psalms are an excellent source from which we can find David confiding over and over again trusting in his God. David says in verse 6 of this Psalm, “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” He was completely confident that no matter what happened, the Lord was on his side.

 

A lack of confidence is a sure sign of failure. In the Civil War, Rear Admiral Samuel Du Pont gave half a dozen excellent reasons why he had not taken his gunboats to Charleston Harbor. Admiral David Farragut listened intently to the recital. “But there was another reason that you have not mentioned,” he replied. “What is that?” questioned Du Pont. The answer came: “You did not believe you could do it.”

 

The lack of confidence has been the secret of failures not only in secular matters, but also in the Christian life. If we don’t have confidence in our God, we cannot profess Him in the workplace, the dining hall, or the shopping mall. What timid creatures we Christians have become! Is it because we do not have confidence in our God? He has certainly proven Himself to us, hasn’t He? Time and time again, God has proven to you and to me His wonderful power and blessing. And yet, how hard we push to get our own things done our way! How determinedly we turn Him away and go about our business without the God who has provided us with the very life that we choose not to trust Him with!

 

In the Christian life, you plus God is always a majority. Never has there been a time in your life when God has not been there to provide a safe passageway through temptation, or a guiding light in the midst of confusion and uncertainty. The only reason that we fail in so many areas as Christians is because we do not have confidence that the very One who created the planets to sustain themselves created us, and can guide us through every trial and heartache. Imagine the maker of the car you drive being with you every hour, every second of your life! Your car would be in the best of shape. And so our Creator, having created us to function inside of His perfect will and nowhere else, knows the exact things we need to experience the joy of living for Him on a day-to-day basis.

 

So who do you trust to pay the next bill? Who do you trust to help you have a wonderful family relationship? Is it God, or yourself? Do you seek Christ for your wisdom, or do you first seek your spouse? Today, let us put our confidence in the One who made us to trust Him, and He will bless us with His presence and peace.

 

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