Proverbs 3:26 For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
The clear rustling sound that came from the undergrowth and dead foliage that covered the jungle floor was unsettling to the primal fears that lurked in the deep subconscious of my mind. Phil, Leonardo and I were walking toward the rented Jeep, when a tarantula the size of a man’s hand went scurrying to our right at a very rapid pace. Moving faster toward us the spider darted over and under fallen palm leaves, moving these obstacles at will.
Increasingly our insecurities grew, but as the prehistoric hunter rapidly changed direction our nervousness eased. “Hokie-Dina, did you see the size of that thing?” Phil said. The relief was evident in his voice. “It kind of makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, doesn’t it?” I said, with equal relief that the tarantula had moved on to stock something more its size.
We then turned and saw that we were surrounded by the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala Central America. The sense of awe that these ancient ruins emanated was a feeling that you had personally discovered these extremely old temples for the first time, even though they had been seen for hundreds of years and by thousands of people. I kept thinking of the confidence of belief it would have taken to build these stone giants. Not unlike the city of Babel.
Gen. 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Confidence in God will accomplish what God has put in our hearts, but when slightly corrupted by personal gain we are soon building our own kingdoms where God cannot find room to live.
When God saw what the citizens were up to when they were building a city that focused on mystical powers, the Lord said that there was nothing that could stop their progress – even though it was contrary to the Lord’s wishes. Gen. 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
After God’s intervention the city was stopped and what remained was called Babel. When God directs the programme, the will of God gets done. Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
Increasingly our insecurities grew, but as the prehistoric hunter rapidly changed direction our nervousness eased. “Hokie-Dina, did you see the size of that thing?” Phil said. The relief was evident in his voice. “It kind of makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, doesn’t it?” I said, with equal relief that the tarantula had moved on to stock something more its size.
We then turned and saw that we were surrounded by the Mayan ruins of Tikal in Guatemala Central America. The sense of awe that these ancient ruins emanated was a feeling that you had personally discovered these extremely old temples for the first time, even though they had been seen for hundreds of years and by thousands of people. I kept thinking of the confidence of belief it would have taken to build these stone giants. Not unlike the city of Babel.
Gen. 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. Confidence in God will accomplish what God has put in our hearts, but when slightly corrupted by personal gain we are soon building our own kingdoms where God cannot find room to live.
When God saw what the citizens were up to when they were building a city that focused on mystical powers, the Lord said that there was nothing that could stop their progress – even though it was contrary to the Lord’s wishes. Gen. 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
After God’s intervention the city was stopped and what remained was called Babel. When God directs the programme, the will of God gets done. Psalm 118:8 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.
How many God-given ideas turned into a babbling mess when we started adding our own know-how to the plan when it was clearly given in the first place? Before we came to our senses there were cost overruns and unforeseen legal problems. So we lose confidence in God, turn to more human know-how, and start a fund-raiser to save God’s plan from the enemy. Meanwhile, God is patiently waiting for us to get back to His original plan that was cost-efficient and legal. Psalm 37:5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
What is it about mankind and Christians alike that we repeat the mantra of Babel? “let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.” We do this over and over even when God is sowing His vision in the hearts of His saints. Why do we think God is going to do it the exact same way as He did it the last time?
I’m not saying God can’t do it the same way. I’m, just wondering why we think He must do it that way. Confidence in God is confidence in God’s character, not in a formula for successful living. Confidence in God is just that: confidence that God loves and hears us. 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
If my confidence is not in God, then I run the risk that I will become overconfident in myself and become hubris of heart and mind, walking without God’s peace. We need to build a life that is glorifying to God. With His help, we will. Matt. 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
What is it about mankind and Christians alike that we repeat the mantra of Babel? “let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven.” We do this over and over even when God is sowing His vision in the hearts of His saints. Why do we think God is going to do it the exact same way as He did it the last time?
I’m not saying God can’t do it the same way. I’m, just wondering why we think He must do it that way. Confidence in God is confidence in God’s character, not in a formula for successful living. Confidence in God is just that: confidence that God loves and hears us. 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
If my confidence is not in God, then I run the risk that I will become overconfident in myself and become hubris of heart and mind, walking without God’s peace. We need to build a life that is glorifying to God. With His help, we will. Matt. 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
good one