Thursday, July 14, 2005
Psalm 9:2-3 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you.
CONFIDENCE
I remember the days when I played high school baseball. We had fun but never had outstanding teams. We won some and usually lost more. The worst were the games where we actually arrived at the field with the expectation that we would lose. You could see it on everyone's face. We looked at an opposing pitcher who was throwing 80 miles an hour and our team lost their confidence before they ever walked up to the plate. It's hard to be confident when you can't even begin to imagine victory. Likewise it's hard to be spiritually confident when you can't even begin to picture the battles that God has already won for you. When we think there is no "light at the end of the tunnel," confidence in the LORD evaporates.
David shares with us his confidence in Psalm 9. He certainly had ups and downs in his life. There were times when he was safe. There were times when he was in great danger. But for as much trouble as he saw, he saw also the victories God won. If he only looked around a little, he could see that Satan wasn't winning every round -- God still had the upper hand -- God was still the victor and evil was still the ultimate loser. David said, "My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you."
When you lack confidence in the LORD, look around at the victories God has already won for you. Let the message of His triumph over your enemies calm you heart and give you strength to face the future. He has already trampled your greatest enemies for you. By His mighty power He has brought you to faith in the Son of God so that you can be confident of your salvation. He has given you a new heart and the willingness to turn from the devil and serve Him. He has taken away the power of death by promising you a resurrection from the dead. He further promises that nothing in this life will be able to separate you from His loving care and He will continue to beat down your enemies each day.
Those sound like some victories that can build confidence in anyone's heart! Truly "I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High!"
