Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Daniel answered the king, “Keep your gifts or give them to someone else, but I will tell you what the writing means.” Daniel 5:17

DANIEL DIDN’T LACK CONFIDENCE. But his confidence wasn’t in himself. He had a track record with God, past experiences that had convinced him that God would come through in times of need and reveal what he needed to know. Early on, after Daniel and his friends had demonstrated their faithfulness, God had given Daniel the ability to interpret visions and dreams (Daniel 1:17). That gift had proven reliable in interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s strange dreams, so Daniel knew it would apply when Belshazzar saw strange writing on the wall. It was a message of judgment, and Daniel wasn’t afraid to declare it.

Joseph also had that confidence in interpreting dreams for Pharaoh (Genesis 41:16). David was sure he would see God’s goodness in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). A bleeding woman boldly pressed through crowds because she was convinced Jesus could heal (Mark 5:25-34). A Canaanite woman confidently pestered Jesus until he responded with a miracle (Matthew 15:21-28). A paralytic’s friends were persistent enough to lower him through a ceiling to be blessed by Jesus (Mark 2:1-12). Peter insisted on a hope that cannot perish (1 Peter 1:4), and on and on the examples of holy resolve continue. Even people like Gideon who began in fear ended up with bold faith after God trained them in the art of believing by giving them experiences of answered faith. A mark of a true believer is the assurance that God is at work in his or her life and will certainly come through one way or another. Faith would sound like arrogance if it were based on self instead of God.

Your faith may begin tentatively and stay that way for years, but you can make a decision at any point to keep stepping forward in it until it becomes a bold assurance. Don’t be afraid to trust God’s leading or his promises. Let his words sink deep into your heart, develop a track record with him, and allow your experience to back your boldness. He does not waver in his commitments to you. Become unwavering in your beliefs about him.

Assurance grows by repeated conflict, by our repeated experimental proof of the Lord’s power and goodness to save.