The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom should I be afraid? When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart is not afraid; though a war breaks out against me, still I am confident. Psalm 27:1-3
My words…
Praise
I place very little confidence in humankind. I’m not 100% confident that my doctor knows what he’s talking about or that my airplane pilot hasn’t been drinking before climbing into the cockpit. I am confident that I have been lied to over and over by politicians. I don’t expect anything different, so I am not that disappointed when it happens. How refreshing, then, when I know I can place my full confidence in You, in who You are and what You do. You don’t make mistakes. Dallas Willard said it best: My confidence in [God] simply means that I believe that he is right about everything: that all that he is and says shows what life is at its best, what it was intended by God to be. When I pray and You answer, I know it was supposed to be that way. That confidence gives birth to unimaginable peace.
Prayer for me
I’ve never had an evildoer come against me to devour my flesh, but I know what it’s like to fear. I do not have enough confidence in my own faith that I would say, “You are my stronghold. Whom should I fear?” But I have the confidence in You to see me through whether I say it or not. Keep growing my faith. Please do not stop.
Forgive me
I am confident in my spirit that You are the God over all the heavens and earth, that You see me, know me, and love me. I confess, however, that that confidence wobbles when I pray the same intercession over and over, and the suffering does not end. Something heaven-sent is happening, but I can’t see it. Everything looks like it did the day before. Forgive me when doubt picks at my faith like I pick at a loose thread. Fear creeps. After all this time I should be shouting, “Whom should I fear?”
Prayer for others
I pray for those whose confidence in You has been shattered. A death occurred. A diagnosis was confirmed. Security was stolen. The answer was no instead of yes. Confidence can be re-built and strengthened. You can do that. I pray that You will.
More praise
I wonder, as I sit here: How much confidence do You have in me? I spend way too much time asking, “What do I think about God?” instead of, “What does God think about me?” The answer to the latter outweighs that of the former, for what You think of me is, truthfully, the impetus for restorative transformation. It’s the only reason I make any effort to change. You are my light and my salvation – of this I am confident.
