May 23, Morning

C. H. Spurgeon · Modern retelling

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." — Psalm 138:8 · KJV

The confidence the psalmist expresses here was clearly a God-given confidence. He did not say, "I have grace enough to perfect what concerns me; my faith is so steady it will never stagger, my love so warm it will never grow cold, my resolve so firm that nothing can shake it." No, his dependence was on the Lord alone. If we indulge any confidence that is not founded on the Rock of ages, our confidence is worse than a dream; it will collapse on us and bury us in its ruins, to our sorrow and shame. Everything that human nature spins, time will unravel, to the lasting confusion of all who wear it. The psalmist was wise; he rested on nothing less than the Lord's own work. It is the Lord who began the good work within us, and it is He who has carried it forward; if He does not finish it, it will never be complete. If there is even one stitch in the heavenly garment of our righteousness that we must sew ourselves, then we are lost. But here is our confidence: the Lord who began will perfect. He has done it all, He must do it all, and He will do it all. Our confidence must not rest on what we have done, or on what we have resolved to do, but entirely on what the Lord will do. Unbelief whispers, "You will never manage to stand. Look at the evil in your heart; you can never conquer sin. Remember the sinful pleasures and temptations of the world that surround you; you will certainly be lured away and led astray." Yes, we truly would perish if we were left to our own strength. If we had to navigate our fragile vessels alone over such a rough sea, we might well abandon the voyage in despair. But thanks be to God, He will perfect what concerns us and bring us to the harbor we long for. We can never be too confident when we trust in Him alone, and never too concerned to have exactly that kind of trust.