Apr
28
Misplaced Confidence
Filed Under Devotional
Joe Namath was famous for guaranteeing a Super Bowl win as the underdog… and then doing it. That was a mixture of hubris and confidence. No matter how sure he was of himself and his team, he couldn’t actually guarantee the win. He didn’t control the weather, injuries, bad officiating, or a million other random things. He was confident because it takes a little unwarranted confidence to be successful at such a high level. What made him famous was that he happened to be right.
The first President Bush was famous for guaranteeing his position on taxes by saying, “Read my lips. No new taxes,” and then, later in his administration, he signed off on an increase. His confidence was clearly misplaced in that he left himself no room to compromise. Public opinion of him was hurt because they didn’t know whether they could trust him about other things.
No matter how powerful a man becomes, no matter how much money a man acquires, no matter how smart he is, he can never have complete confidence in predicting his future actions. It’s an act of arrogance and we are warned against it:
“Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” James 4:14
We need to remember it is all in God’s hands and we can only be confident that His will is what will be done.
So, one thing we can be very confident in is something Job talked about when he was at his lowest. So, it’s not just something to make us feel good, but something we can cling to when our world is disintegrating around us:
“I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” Job 19:25
Hang on to that.