Our Confidence

Look among the nations and watch, be utterly astounded!  For I will work in your days which  you would not believe, though it were told you.

(Habakkuk 1:5, NKJV)

One thing I appreciate of human beings, is our mind which gives us the ability to think, analyse situations and reach a conclusion.  Studies have indicated that when a child is born, they have great ability to use both their right and left brains which leads to vivid imaginations of the world around them.  The creativity of children is limitless so long as they are encouraged to continue in their visioning and dreaming availed through the right brain function, we therefore hear them talk of imaginary friends, compose songs with their own tunes and draw pictures from their minds.  This is what unadulterated creativity is about and it is beautiful to watch and acknowledge.  However, it is also globally recognized that most education systems tend to focus on strengthening our analytical minds so that we learn to trust and believe only that which we can understand with our minds.  The strengthening of our left brain which deals with logic has to a large extent contributed to the weakening of our right brain, reducing our ability to be creative and operate outside the box. Logic tells us that if we cannot understand, see, hear or touch something, then it does not exist and so the imaginations of the right brain take a back seat.  We therefore limit ourselves to only that which can be controlled by us.  I am however convinced that God intended us to use both the right and left brains so that we can experience life in totality, from all angles.  Maybe we individually need to ponder how we see things.

The above conversation of right and left brains came to mind as I reflected on our reference verse.  Prophet Habakkuk had in the earlier verses lamented that God was not responding to his call for help.  God in response told him that He (God) was indeed at work, a work so great to confound the prophet and one that he could not believe even if he was told.  God was stating that His work was big yet the human eye could not see it neither could the heart believe it if it was told in plain language.  Beloved, our God is great and does great things beyond our comprehension, beyond what we look out for and though we fail to acknowledge the happenings, that does not deny the truth that He is still at work.  Looking around our situations to determine where God is working is therefore limiting ourselves to our understanding and limiting Him to what we know as our reality.  Yet, it is true that our view is awfully shallow when compared to how God who lives in eternity sees, our greatest wisdom pales in comparison to His.  It is no wonder that He says that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).  It is difficult for many of us to accept that there is more than we know or can understand, yet this is God’s invitation to us for a life of faith and believing.  When we accept that we are His creation while He is the creator, then we can take a view closer to the reality of our relationship with Him, a view which leads us to humbly acknowledge that He alone is God, none before Him and none to be compared with Him (Isaiah 43:10-13).  Brethren, this realization is not meant to make us helpless or even hopeless, it is meant to help us accept that our strength and confidence is in God by ourselves we are inadequate.  I like the idea that though I know I am incapable of doing something, there is someone else who can handle what needs doing and that individual is on my side.  The fact that there is assured help gives me the confidence to step out knowing that I will win as I am helped by one who is stronger.  Friend, the stronger one is our Lord Jesus Christ and so we confess that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).  Notice the verse refers to us as children, reminding us of our Father who is the great and mighty God and whose understanding is unsearchable (Psalm 147:5).  Beloved, even when we do not understand what is going on around us, may we be encouraged in the knowledge that our Father knows it all and is working it out for our good (Romans 8:28).  Let that be our confidence as we face each day envisioning His presence with us.

Thoughts:

From where are you drawing your confidence today?

What is your revelation of God’s power in your life?

How are you resting in Him?

Are there issues you need to hand over to God as almighty?