I Remain Confident of This…
Psalm 27:13-14 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.”
If we had to rate our confidence in the Lord, what score would we give ourselves? Oh if asked, we’d likely answer immediately saying we have full confidence in Him. I mean, that’s the appropriate and expected answer, right? But really, if the question is put to us when life is hard, when we’ve faced death and grief, when the diagnosis is not good, when the job prospects have dried up, when the wandering child we’ve been praying for is straying even farther, would we still answer with the same assurance? Do we have that complete confidence in our Lord that He can do more than we could ask or think….and do we live like we believe it?
But here’s something else to consider. We’ve taught our sons and daughters many things, but have we modeled full trust and confidence in God…especially when times are tough? So much more is ‘caught’ than ‘taught’. And if we want them to be adults who have full confidence in the Lord, we need to keep encouraging them to put their complete trust in Him, even when things look bleak.
King David wrote Psalm 27 and it’s a powerful testament to just how much confidence David had in the Lord. Even how it’s titled “A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God” shows David’s confidence. And how much confidence did he have? Let’s look at the challenges he was facing:
Wicked enemies advancing to devour him
An army besieging him
War breaking out against him
The day of trouble (most likely more like a season of trouble)
Enemies surrounding him
The threat of his mother and father forsaking him
False witnesses spouting malicious accusations against him
Did he complain? No. Did he rant and stress over the dire situation? No. No! What did his heart say? “Seek His face!” v. 8 Wow. Wow!! All those frightening challenges, enemies galore and David’s heart says “Seek His face.”
What do our hearts say when we face pain, disappointment, trial, turmoil and heartache? And what do our mouths say? Do we testify to the goodness of God or do we lament at our misfortune? And what about our sons and daughters? Do their hearts say “Seek His face!” when they encounter trials? Oh, friends, we desperately want our sons and daughters to seek His face, no matter what they’re going through.
Look at how does David ends the Psalm; “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” David was sure, beyond a doubt, of the goodness and power of the Lord. His trust in God eclipsed any threat or fear he might face. His God was strong enough to conquer any of it.
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters are filled with hope and confidence that they WILL see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. NO matter what they face, they have an Almighty God who loves them and wants to protect and provide for them.
“Heavenly Father, You are mighty to protect and preserve us in any situation and from any enemy. I pray that You would fill (name) with a strong confidence in Your faithfulness and provision in any situation. When they are faced with difficult or frightening circumstances, when they don’t know from where or when the answers will come, I pray that they would immediately seek Your face and be assured, beyond a doubt, that You will be their helper. You will not reject or forsake them. I pray that You would build (name)’s faith so they can say with confidence that You are their light and salvation and they will not fear. Lord, let them see Your goodness in every aspect of their life and may they testify with their attitude and words to everyone they encounter that their God is faithful. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Pray without ceasing.