“For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” Proverbs 3:26 (ESV)

Staring at my phone, it felt like a trap of sorts. Trying to discern a text I had just received, my heart pounded against my chest as I pondered my response. While I wasn’t exactly sure of the sender’s intent, I knew how my heart was receiving the message.

Have you ever gotten a text filled with capital letters and exclamation points — the silent phone screaming? Maybe like me, when you’ve gotten a scathing message, something went off inside your heart. A feeling you wanted to be rid of as quickly as possible.

As I read the message once more, trying to understand what my next step should be, I breathed a prayer: “Lord, I don’t want this situation to blow up. I don’t want to ruin my family’s day. What should I do?”

What followed was silence, and in the silence I sensed my peace-filled answer: Nothing. This time, be still.

My move right then was no move at all.

Minutes turned into hours as I waited for wisdom to come, for my next right step to be made clear. Yet as the morning drifted to day and afternoon passed into evening, I sensed again that this time my response was to be no response at all. Repeatedly I slammed the door on the anxiety continuing to knock on my heart. Shouldn’t I respond to the text? I kept wondering.Yet, I felt no peace about moving in that direction.

Please don’t get me wrong: I am not advocating for ignoring others when they try to communicate. On this day though, I followed James 1:5: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” (NLT) As I did, I felt God’s wisdom in this situation was to not respond.

When Christ is our confidence, He provides the correct direction for our situation and keeps our feet — or our hearts and minds — from being snared. He calms our need to defend ourselves or prove another wrong. This is His promise to us in Proverbs 3:26: “For the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.”

When our confidence is built on who He is in our lives and what He says about us, we can avoid being pulled into situations that pull us under.

This doesn’t mean we won’t experience the repercussions of another’s anger, insecurity or frustration. However, it does mean when we rely on Him, Jesus will give us His wisdom and keep us from getting ourselves caught in a pit of anger, insecurity or emotional turmoil.

In my not-so-far-off past, I’ve not only gotten caught in this trap, I’ve been stuck — held by my own self-doubt. On this day, though, with God’s power, I trusted in His goodness and His wisdom, and the outcome was completely different.

Eventually, the sender of that text sent me another. I’m not sure what happened on their end that day, but the next text was filled with kindness. God doesn’t promise us that everything in our lives will turn out with pink bows and rainbows; I’ve lived long enough to know that. But when I relied on Him to give me the confidence to handle this hardship His way, I saw that He did indeed, keep my foot (and my heart) from being caught.

Lord, this is the victory I want to live out each day. Help me to remember that when I rest in Your confidence and not my own need to prove or defend myself, You will keep me safe. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

TRUTH FOR TODAY:

Isaiah 30:15a, “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.’” (NLT)

RELATED RESOURCES:

Do you desire a confidence so peace-filled, you don’t have to defend or prove yourself? Get your copy of Lynn Cowell’s Bible study, Make Your Move: Finding Unshakable Confidence Despite Your Fears and Failures, here.

CONNECT:

Visit Lynn’s blog today to download five free lock screen wallpapers to send via text (or upload to your device) to serve as constant reminders to rest in God’s confidence.

REFLECT AND RESPOND:

What situations cause you to feel like you need to prove or defend yourself? Join the conversation, and let us know in the comments today.

Ask the Lord to empower you with His confidence and open your eyes to see these situations for what they are — a trap — before you are drawn into them.

© 2018 by Lynn Cowell. All rights reserved.