Morning By Morning #144

The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me.

Psalm 138:8

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

Most assuredly the confidence the psalmist expresses here is a divine confidence. He did not say, “I am gifted enough to ‘fulfill [his purpose] for me,’” as if to say, “My faith is so unshakable it will not waver, my love is so warm it will never grow cold, and my resolution is so firm nothing can move it.” No, his dependence was on the Lord alone.

If we trust in anything not grounded on the Rock of Ages, our confidence is less than a dream. It will simply crumble on us, covering us in its ruins to our own sorrow and confusion. All that Nature weaves will ultimately unravel over time to the eternal confusion of those who have clothed themselves in it.

The psalmist, however, was wise and trusted in nothing short of the Lord’s work. It is the Lord “who began a good work in [us]” and “will carry it on to completion” (Phil. 1:6). And if He doesn’t finish it, it will never be complete. If even one stitch of the celestial garment of our righteousness must be sewn by us, then we are lost and hopeless. But this is our confidence: The Lord “who began…will carry it on to completion.” He has done it all, must do it all, and will do it all.

Our confidence must never be in what we have done or have resolved to do, but entirely in what the Lord will do. Unbelief deceives us, saying, “You will never be able to stand. Just look at your evil heart! You will never conquer sin. Remember your sinful pleasures and the temptations of the world that continually plague you? Undoubtedly you will be allured and led astray by them.”

Yes, if left to our own strength, we would indeed perish! If left to navigate our frail vessels through such rough seas alone, we might as well give up our voyage in despair. “But thanks be to God!”(l Cor. 15:57). He “will fulfill [his purpose] for [us]” and take us to His desired haven.

We can never be too confident if our confidence is based on Him alone. And we can never be overwhelmed by the storms of life when our trust is in Him.

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

The world today has great respect for people with confidence, but if that confidence is based on human strengths and talents, it will ultimately fail. And when it comes to believers, the Lord will not—and cannot—tolerate our trusting in ourselves. If we trust in our own strengths, no matter how developed they may be, the Lord will be forced to send brokenness in the very area where we have placed—or misplaced—our trust. Consider these words of the psalmist, encouraging confidence in the Lord—not man:

“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes” (Ps. 118:6 – 9).

Solomon declared, “The LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared” (Prov. 3:26), while the writer of Hebrews added, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Heb. 10:35).

Father, I pray that even “though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident” (Ps. 27:3).