Confidence Found in Jesus Alone
Sunday’s Verse:
From Hebrews 4:16 ESV
“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Tough times test our confidence. There are seasons where prayers go unanswered. The road ahead is daunting, and we wonder if we will make it through the trials we face. Lutheran teaching doesn’t shame us into pretending those thoughts don’t cross our minds. In fact, for Luther, Psalmody was essential to his teachings and writing. The Psalms rejoice, but they also know fear. They mourn, but they also raise questions. God wants our honest prayers.
Our confidence does not come from how firm we stand or pretend to stand. It is found in Jesus alone. He understands suffering because He was willing to endure the suffering of the cross in our place. He bore our sin, weakness, and death upon the wood. Because of Christ, we can come to God not as those who have to earn their place, but as forgiven sinners who are welcome.
In our weakest moments, faith can feel small. Faith is not measured by how large it feels within us. If we trust in Christ, even when that trust trembles, it is still enough. Luther loved to say that faith grabs hold of and clings to God’s promise. In our weakness, we try to base our confidence in our feelings and circumstances. Jesus will never do that to us.
Even when life is hard, we have Jesus’ words and Sacraments. In Word and Sacrament, God gives us concrete gifts to help His weak people. He speaks forgiveness to us when we are overcome with guilt. He gives us body and blood to sustain our weary, frightened souls. These gifts don’t tell us that we are strong. They remind us of His mercy.
So in times of testing and trial, we don’t search our hearts for confidence. We know where to look: to Jesus. Your salvation is secured, and you will not desert us.
✝️ A Prayer for Today:
Lord Jesus, when doubts and fears oppress me, redirect my gaze from myself to You. Remind me that my confidence is in Your cross and resurrection, and not in my own abilities. Never let me go. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.
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