09
Feb '19
Blessed Assurance
09
Feb '19
“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”
The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Jeremiah 1:6-8
What does it mean to have confidence? As I mentioned previously, I can tend to worry about things and lose focus on what matters. The other day, I had a challenge where for one reason or another, I could not seem to get a project done. There were many distractions that prevented me from working on it, and before I knew it, I was hitting against a deadline. In this case, there was this feel of calm that came over me as I began to work on the task at hand. Deep down, I knew I would be able to get the job done because of the confidence in my abilities told me that as long as there was time the job would be done well. And that is precisely what happened.
The word ‘confidence’ came to mind as I thought of how God is always there for me. There were times where He seemed distant from me and others where I focused on things other than Him. However, as I re-centered myself and focused on Him things began to align, and I felt comforted and assured. One of my favorite hymnals from my early church is called ‘Blessed Assurance,’ which starts:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
O what a foretaste of glory divine
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
We should have full confidence in God’s presence and His word. In reading the beginning of Jeremiah, Jeremiah was called to serve by God. Jeremiah spoke to God like many of us when a situation or circumstance overwhelms us. We look at our obvious deficiencies or flaws. In this case, Jeremiah’s self-describe flaw was his young age, which estimated by scholars was in his early or mid-teens. Instead of focusing on his age, God simply reassured him (don’t say ‘I’m too young,’ don’t be afraid), and instilled in him confidence (I will be with you and will protect you) needed for His will to be done. We all can fall into the trap of looking at our deficiencies in face of what God may ask of us. We have many reasons such as lack of time, something we’ve never done, or that’s not our responsibility. We must remember all God has done for us, and as listed in the verses today when God says, “(Y)ou must go whenever I send you,” it kinda leaves out the ambiguity, doesn’t it? We should go forward with confidence that whatever we are lacking in, God will provide for us.
God is always there for us. He intercedes in ways where we will never know, and He provides for us when we do not see a way for us to do so. This is how Moses was able to free the Israelites from Egypt after once asking God, “Who am I?” (Exodus 3:11) It was how Peter walked on water when Jesus said ‘come.’ (Matthew 14:29) They, like Jeremiah, lacked the confidence to fulfill something, and God gave them all they needed to do the impossible. Let’s us take from God’s word to have full confidence that He will always be there for us when we need Him. Where in your walk of faith are you lacking confidence in Christ? How can trust God more to fill in for what you see as a deficiency? My prayer is that whatever troubles you today, you can have ‘Blessed Assurance’ that God will get you what you need. Amen.
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Kent
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