“I remain confident of this. That I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” – Psalm 27:13
Confidence is defined as ‘feeling or showing certainty about something.’ In other words, the ability for us to remain certain that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. And certainty isn’t some sort of probability that ranges on a scale of ‘I’ll see the Lord’s goodness 0 -100% of the time.’ It’s the full and complete trust that we will see it all the time.
It’s an unlimited amount of confidence we can have, allowing us to beautifully surrender at the feet of Jesus. When we fully grasp and comprehend this concept, that God, in all His glory, gives us this amazing ability to have such confidence in Him, it can completely change our perspective and the way we live our lives.
How can I actually remain ‘confident’ though?
With all the above comes the question about how we’re able to remain confident that we will see the Lord’s goodness, when everything seems to be going wrong? Sometimes when we look around us, and the situations we’re in, the difficulties we’re facing, the never-ending cycle of struggle, it can be hard to remember and even believe that God’s goodness still exists.
With natural eyes however, we will never be able to see and realise God’s supernatural goodness. His goodness isn’t limited to what we face and go through. Sometimes as humans we have the tendency to place God into our own seasons of life, so that when things seem to be going well, we praise God for his goodness, but then as soon as the trials come, we forget all about it. We begin to turn to our own natural abilities to try and resolve the same situations that God is offering his supernatural peace and confidence into.
So how do we actually learn and begin to remain confident that we will see the goodness of the Lord? … It all really starts from the foundations that we set for ourselves. A firm foundation built on the Lord, results in an increased ability to have confidence in Him.
The Wise Man and the Foolish Man
The parable of the wise and foolish men talks about the importance of the foundations we have in our lives (Matthew 7:24-27). If someone was to build a house on sand (the foolish man), it would never be able to withhold the rain and the winds. However, like the wise man, if the foundations of a house are built on rock, it will have the capacity to withstand any season that comes at it.
Think about your own house, it still stands firm even on the rainiest and stormiest days. And that isn’t because of anything you do inside the house. You don’t have to run to hold all the walls and roof with your hands to make sure it doesn’t fall off. No, you have the complete confidence in the person who built the house, that the foundations are so secure, that no matter what storms come and go, the house will remain firm and standing. You can sit in your house with an abundant sense of peace, seeing the storms outside, but still having the complete certainty that it will not harm you.
When our foundations are built on the Lord, when we’ve given it all to Him and put our trust in His ways completely, then we will be able to have such a confidence that even when the storms come, we will not fall, because He will never fail.
‘The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against the house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.’ – Matthew 7:25
The way we can remain confident that we will see the goodness of the Lord, even when the storms come, is when we have built our foundations on His love. When we have aligned the plans for our year with His. When we have totally surrendered to His will and His command. When we have been intentional about the way we choose to spend our times, putting Him first in everything we do.
Imagine the game Jenga. The aim of the game it to successfully remove the blocks of the tower and place it on the top, without knocking the whole thing over. As the game continues it becomes increasingly harder to take the blocks out without it falling, because the foundation becomes weaker and weaker.
We can fall into the trap of living our lives almost like a Jenga game. Our ability to stand firm from the trials and situations that come in our lives becomes weaker because our foundation isn’t secure. We become more likely to fall, and even when we are still standing, it’s very wobbly.
This isn’t the life God is calling us to. This year we need to choose and decide that we will build our lives on the one who will never fail or forsake us. God calls us to not only hear His words, but to put them in practice (Matthew 7:24). He is calling you to deeper levels this year, and is wanting you to experience that amazing confidence, that through it all you will never stop seeing the goodness of the Lord.
The joy and peace that it brings is honestly indescribable!
There’s a song written by Housefires called ‘Build my Life’ which perfectly describes this whole idea of God being our firm foundation:
“And I will build my life upon your love. It is a firm foundation.
And I will put my trust in you alone,
And I will not be shaken…”
Written by Abigail
Hey I’m Abigail.
Im currently at university studying social policy. But other than that I love spending time with family and friends, watching Netflix and most importantly growing with God.
