Humble Confidence

In his book Ruthless Trust, Brennan Manning shares that a poor self-image reveals a lack of humility because “feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, inferiority, and self-hatred rivet our attention on ourselves. Humble men and women do not have a low opinion of themselves; they have no opinion of themselves, because they so rarely think about themselves.” Going further, he says “humble people are small in their own eyes, honest about their struggles, and open to constructive criticism. Following the counsel of Jesus to take the last place, they are not shocked or offended when others put them there.” I love this last sentence especially. It can be difficult for us to gracefully handle being marginalized or overlooked but meditating upon and internalizing the Word of God can help us, as Manning says, to follow the counsel of Jesus. God’s word says “Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].” (James 10:4AMP). His Word also reminds us that Christ died for us (John 3:16) (there is no greater love than that) and that we are accepted by Christ (Ephesians 1:6). There is no need for us either to have a low self-image or for us to be prideful – we can simply be humble.

Going a little further regarding the concept of humble confidence, Manning refers to Jesus’ parable found in Mark 4:26-29:

Then Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is like someone who plants seed in the ground. Night and day, whether the person is asleep or awake, the seed still grows, but the person does not know how it grows. By itself the earth produces grain. First the plant grows, then the head, and then all the grain in the head. When the grain is ready, the farmer cuts it, because this is the harvest time.”

Manning shares that this is the way it is with trust. “Based on the solid, irrefutable evidence of God’s relentless faithfulness, a certainty in the trustworthiness of the tremendous Lover evolves without the least sweat and strain on our part.” This is where a humble confidence is birthed. Our confidence is not based on an inflated trust in ourselves; rather, when we see over and over and over again the faithfulness of the Father, our trust in Him matures and ripens into confidence. Beautiful!

So the farmer who has planted seeds may rest well. He need not have anxiety regarding whether the seeds will grow or not. He does not stay awake at night trying to somehow ensure it produces. No. Jesus says that whether that farmer is asleep or awake, the seed still grows. And Manning gives this illustration about the “spiritual woman”: She lives in quiet confidence that God is working in her by day and by night. Like the farmer, she is not totally passive or presumptuous. The woman knows that she has her full measure of work to do, but realizes that the outcome rests with God and that the decisive factor is unearned grace.

YES!

Father, may we have a humble confidence in you – resting in who we are in You and trusting You for all that we need.