Confidence in Quietness

What does confidence look like? Where does it come from? How does it behave? What does it produce? What the world teaches about confidence might not have much to do with the confidence that the Bible talks about. In the world we might think of a powerful businessman who always seems to know what to do and with a ‘confidence’ that borders on arrogance proceeds to go out and get it. Bullies on the playground always seemed to exude a confidence, but looking years back to those guys, they might have actually been the ones trying to prove something. The smack-talk that you often hear before a game is often not confidence talking, but an attempt to build confidence. The world’s confidence seems to be loud, blustering and arrogant.
What does the Bible say about confidence? “For thus says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength...” Isaiah 30:15. That doesn’t sound much like loud, blustering and arrogant. I’ve learned by serving God over 45 years that when He calls you to do something, you don’t just run out and produce it in your own might. That doesn’t just apply to ministry, it applies to life, literally everything that He calls you to do. That’s because the things that He calls us to do, including the Christian life is often way over our heads. It’s often outside of our natural ability. If you intend to use loud, blustering and arrogant in that context, it’s a sign that you’re trying to fake it, to bluster your way through.
That’s why He tells is, “; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength”, because my confidence is not in me but in the One who called me to do it. In another context He says, ‘Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith”, Romans 3:27. This is in the question of whether our salvation is by faith in Him our by our own works. The bottom line is that we’re not going to get anything done His way in our own strength or wisdom. He, Himself wants to supply those things.
So, if our confidence in in Him who has called us, to produce the results that He has called us to, then there’s no room for loudness, arrogance or blustering. Indeed, there’s no need for all that. Furthermore, our self-confident bragging might actually stand in the way of our success in any of the things we’re called to do in life. We need Him. This is especially true if He’s decided to let us try it on our own for a while because we thought we could.
If our confidence is in Him then, no bragging is needed. He’s the one who will provide everything that we fall short of in whatever quest we’re called to. So then, as the new year dawns, we’re to quietly go about the business that He’s called us to, trusting in Him to meet the needs, fill the gaps and bring about the result. In short, “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength...”. Go and quietly, with confidence in Him, do His will and see His results. It will save you a lot of embarrassment, failure and frustration. I know this from experience.