I remember learning to ride a bike as a child. There were times when I had this great boost of confidence. I would think, “I really am doing it! I really am riding this bike all by my self!” Only to look back and find my dad still holding on to the bike and keeping me from falling.
As a teenager, I would often have this burst of over-confidence/cockiness thinking, “I’m in control of my life and can do what I want to!” Only to look back and find my dad supplying the car, the gas, the insurance, the place to live, the food….in short, everything.
There’s something about us that wants to do it ourselves in order to feel confident and successful. If we can’t do it ourselves, we feel weak and inadequate. But Joshua chapter 10 teaches us that we have it backwards. Time and time again, God reminds Joshua and the Israelites that it’s Him who is giving the victory, throwing the enemy into panic, sending hail, stopping the sun…in short, fighting for them. It’s God doing a turn-key job. And the interesting thing is this…the fact that God is doing things for us is not a reason to feel weak and inadequate. It’s actually a reason to be strong and courageous! (Joshua 10:25)
Total dependance upon God is not a position of weakness, but rather a position of strength and confidence. Think about it…you’re only as strong, as stable, as wise, and as prepared as the One on which you’re relying.
With that in mind, doesn’t it make more sense to rely on God that on ourselves? (Psalms 33:13-22)