Confident

Confident  |  Psalm 46  |  Tamika Brown
 
“Confidence is sexy!” Consider the times you’ve heard, said or even thought this. There’s just something magical about people who are confident. We are somehow just naturally drawn to them. Confidence means feeling sure of yourself and your abilities — not in an arrogant way, but in a realistic, secure way. Confidence isn't about feeling superior to others. It's a quiet inner knowledge that you're capable.

As we end week 3 of Lent, our focus prayer this week was letting our actions and reactions be rooted in a spirit of gratitude. Today’s text by emphasizes two main truths about God: God’s strength and God’s established presence which should lead us to the natural reactions of trust (faith) and gratitude.

If asked, many of us would say that we are generally self-confident; while others would hedge or hesitate a bit. Then if we were asked about our confidence in others (faith), those numbers would probably lean more heavily toward hesitance (doubt). Which are completely human responses. Being confident – having faith in ourselves, our God and others – is a daily practice.

Move/Act Without Fear
Have you ever considered that your gratitude is limited because so too is your faith? In v.2a the writer states “Therefore we will not fear...”. I know, I know! We all get scared or nervous about things. Life is too big and too bountiful for us to always be ready and steady. I imagine that this is not God’s intent. God wants us in all situations, even when we may have some trepidation, to lean into God and move/take action anyway.

Falter, But Don’t Fall
Don’t answer out loud or tell your neighbor, but how many times have you been moving along, minding your business and the next thing you know you’re falling? And it’s always like those scenes in movies, time just slows down. I wonder if that slow-motion feeling is God’s way of reminding us that even in the midst of falling, we have the opportunity to course correct.

Just as in when we are literally falling, we throw out our hands or grasp on to something, each day we have the opportunity to try again after we’ve made a mistake or missed our intended mark. And just like we shout “thank you Jesus” from that near miss, we show gratitude in having the ability to try one more time. In v.5a the writer states “God is within her, she will not fall…”. It does not say that we won’t falter, but God’s hand keeps us from falling.

Be Confident
Confidence is like your favorite cozy sweater, well-cut suit, cute dress or fresh kicks. It is something with which you adorn yourself because you KNOW you look good! This is what God wants for each of us. On this Christian journey we have to KNOW who we are and whose we are. Whether we meet on the pews or in the community, at work or in the streets – are we confident in God’s word? Verse 10 states simply, “Be still, and know …”. Our confidence tells God “Thank you; you put this light in me and I am grateful. I am going to show my gratitude by letting that light shine bright for ALL to see.”

Prayer: “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Jude 1:24-25 KJV