On The Winning Team
When I was young, I played a lot of Spades – it’s a card game that is actually quite similar to Whist. This came in handy when visiting my grandmother in Ireland – she loved going to the Whist Drive so that I could go along with her. In any event, my friends and I played many games, but Spades was the all-around favorite. Because I knew my partners, I talked a lot of trash. I knew I was on the winning team, so I wasn’t worried about losing. That kind of confidence comes only from being sure of the one who has your back. Like the child who challenges a huge kid because he knows his big brother is bigger than the one he challenged.
Talking A Good One
Sometimes people boast but are all bluster and no substance. Other people talk a good one because they are confident in their own skills. Still others derive their confidence from knowing that they are not alone in the battle and that their team is stronger. Â I know that today’s verse is not meant to be cocky. Without context, we could certainly read it as such. But, knowing what we know about how mighty our God is, we know that this is a statement made in the utmost confidence of HIm.
Confident, Not Cocky
Do we separate the two? How can we feel brave based entirely on our trust in another? When I read the verse for today, I thought about what a bold statement it was. I chuckled at first as it reminded me of something we would say as children, “I’m not afraid of you!” It was at once a challenge, a defense, and a threat of retaliation. This proclamation let the other kids know that we were ready to fight, and no matter how big they were, we would not be intimidated. Confident kids didn’t have to fight nearly as much as cocky kids. People respected the confidence. Even if you were small, they figured you must have something going for you if you were that confident. But everyone wanted to knock the cocky kid down a peg.
I Want That Confidence
I want that confidence; I long to matter-of-factly look a frightening situation in the eye and say, “Who are you? What do you have on MY God?” It is only reasonable to have that strength, that power, that gumption. After all, The Lord put the planets in the sky, calmed the storm, walked on water, fed thousands with a child’s lunch, raised people from the dead, healed the sick, and rose from the grave. What can’t He do? If ever I wanted to be on the winning team, it’s kind of a no-brainer to pick His.
40-Day Challenge Reading
Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?