Morning reflections- Self Confidence is rooted in God Confidence

     Patiently wait for God alone, my soul! For he is the one who gives me confidence. Ps 62: 5 (NET)  …two principles I have heard: God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. Ps 62:11b-12a (NET)

Sitting by the fire this morning, warm coffee in hand, two furry dogs at my feet, I noticed how just being in my presence, my anxious adopted dogs, become calm. They know my smell, my habits and trust my provision. Their calm confidence highlighted a truth about our relationship with God for me.

My mind shifted from dogs to open-hearted reading of God’s word. Psalm 62: 5  drew my attention first;

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. (AMP)

IF my confident hope and expectation come only from Him, I CAN submit and wait calmly for Him. Reading another version expanded the meaning of the verse:

Patiently wait for God alone, my soul!
For he is the one who gives me confidence. (NET)

When I have confidence that God is trustworthy and will lead me strongly, it gives me confidence in myself. In other words:

Confidence in God determines confidence in self.

My confidence IS from God and nothing else. I do not have to take great effort to boost my own confidence. Instead, I wait,  submitting my focus and engage my body, mind, and soul in the presence of God.

I have an ADD brain, waiting is hard! So, how do I tame the distracting thoughts and wait?

Thoughts of self-doubt, constantly repeat old perceptions of “I am not good enough, I am alone, I am powerless”.  Plaguing perceptions that pound my confidence into a reality of uncertainty.

Reading through the chapter, I found the answer contained in the last two verses:

…two principles I have heard: God is strong, and you, O Lord, demonstrate loyal love. Ps 62:11b-12a (NET)

God is STRONG and has LOYAL LOVE for us. A no brainer…one would think. The truth is the spirit of my God, my divine Father who is strong with loyal love, lives in me. The obstacle to self-confidence is the lack of confidence of that truth. God’s reality is in me.

Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him.
John 14:23 (NET)

A Divine power giving Divine confidence. My wandering thoughts can be captivated by the wonder of this truth, God in me. His children are defined by the divine presence of His spirit in them. Silently submit to Him!

O Love of God, how strong and true,
Eternal and yet ever new;
Uncomprehended and unbought,
Beyond all knowledge and all thought.

O wide embracing, wondrous Love,
We read you in the sky above:
We read you in the earth below,
In seas that swell and streams that flow.

We read you best in him who came
to bear for us the cross of shame,
Sent by the Father from on high,
Our life to live our death to die.

We read your power to bless and save
Even in the darkness of the grave;
Still more in resurrection light
We read the fullness of your might.
                                Horatius Bonar

His mighty power resides in us! The furry creatures at my feet have a simple confidence in me, a created being, sustaining them in a calm dog sort of confidence. How much more profound, powerful, and sustaining is a submitting confidence in the creator.  Oh the greatness of our God.

Father, flood me with your grace to fortify my confidence in your love, so that I may live boldly with confidence empowering my life to be a reflection of  Your love to the world. Amen