Confidence in the Lord - April 2

Read Proverbs 3:24-26

If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

Reflect

This world can be a scary place but Scripture repeatedly tells us not to be afraid. How is that possible for believers??

In Acts 6:8, Stephen is described as being “full of grace and power.” But in verse 10, it said that Stephen offended some Jews in the synagogue who “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.” These men seized him, dragged him before the religious leaders and made false testimony about him to the council.

Rather than being terrified, verse 15 says of Stephen, “And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.”

But Stephen didn’t try to defend himself at all. Instead, he broke out into a commanding and thorough defense of the Christian faith starting with father Abraham and ending by calling out the very council he was standing before. He said, “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it” (Acts 7:51-53). Stephen called out the angry, violent mob for their murder of Jesus, seemingly unafraid that they might do the very same thing to him.

Don’t you want to be so confident in your faith that when your back’s against the wall and your only crime is your faith in Christ, you don't cower in fear, you don’t get defensive and worry about self-preservation…No, you keep on boldly proclaiming the truth of the Gospel. No matter what! Even when, like Stephen, you are staring death in the face.

Acts 7:54-60 tells of Stephen’s stoning by the violent mob. But it’s Stephen’s last words that are so incredible. He stared into heaven and said: “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God…Lord Jesus, receive my spirit…Lord, do not hold this sin against them” (v. 56, 59-60).

The Source of Stephen’s confidence was written all over his face. He wasn’t confident in his ability to talk himself out of this one. He wasn’t confident in his strength to fight the crowd. He wasn’t confident in the legal system that actually outlawed this type of mob violence. He wasn’t confident that someone would come to rescue him. His confidence was in the Lord alone.

Today’s verse says that level of confidence can be ours too! We don’t have to stay awake worrying in the night because our confidence is not in our own ability to solve all of our problems. We can sleep in peace because our confidence is in the Lord. Like Stephen, we don’t have to fear wicked, evil men because the Lord is our confidence. We don’t have to be afraid of “the ruin of the wicked” because the Lord is our confidence.

The author of Hebrews put it this way: “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:6)

Stephen was able to be confident, even as he faced the people who killed him, because his confidence was in the Lord alone. His gaze was transfixed on Jesus’ face. He knew that in Christ, he’d already won. Even though he was about to die, he knew that he was about to truly live…forever. So don’t be afraid of the sudden terror when it comes, for the Lord is your confidence!

Respond

Lord, I want to be confident, even in the face of my enemies, even in the midst of terror. When I am afraid, remind me that You are my confidence. I don’t have to fear. What can man do to me? Build my faith, Lord. Help me to trust You completely. Amen.

Reveal

Our confidence in the midst of trouble reveals our faith in Christ to those around us. Are you going through something difficult or scary right now? Ask God to help You be confident in Him for His glory even in tough circumstances.