Do You Lack Confidence in God?
8 Scriptures that Demonstrate God’s Love and Protection
I am a mother of three children. Although they are all adults now and have children of their own, I remember how careful I was when I took my children into a store when they were young. I had one child in particular who loved to sneak away and hide when we were in stores. So, I always held his hand to keep him with me, keep him from getting lost, and to protect him from danger.
Sometimes my son would walk with me while calmly holding my hand, feeling secure in my presence. But more often then not, he would struggle against my hold so he could look around and see who else was in the store. He’d look to see if there were toys or candy around or if there was a cool place to run and hide. Occasionally he would struggle against me and get loose. Off he’d go to run and hide.
As Christians we often forget that God holds us by the hand. He does so for the same reasons I held my son’s hand when walking though the store—to protect us from wandering off from Him, getting lost or being exposed to danger. As long as we are walking alongside God, lovingly holding His hand, we enjoy God’s presence and protection.
When we forget that God holds us by the hand, we often begin losing confidence in God. We have faith in Him. We know He is our creator, He loves us, He wants us to walk with Him and spend eternal life with Him. But regardless of our faith in these things, we often lack confidence in Him.
Why is it that we can boldly share the Gospel with others, and even proclaim that God’s word is true, yet many of us lack confidence that He will keep us in relationship with Him? As a teacher and minister I have talked to many people who somehow think, even though they know that they are saved by grace and not by works, that they are not good enough, they don’t do enough, and they are going to slip right out of their salvation, out of their relationship with Him.
If you struggle with these thoughts and fear that you will accidentally slip into sin and lose your salvation, please read on as I share some scriptures that assure us that God is holding onto us. Although He will let us walk away from Him, He does not casually let us slip away from Him. We will first see how God stabilizes us in our walk with Him. Then we’ll see how He watches and guides us. Through God’s Word we will see why we can have confidence in God.
God Stabilizes Us
Many verses in the Psalms declare that God stabilizes us in our walk with Him.
In Psalms 37:23-24 we read that God orders our steps and delights in our way. But more importantly, He upholds us with His hand so that when we fall, we are not utterly cast down, meaning we do not lose our salvation.
Psalm 18:32 assures us that God strengthens us and makes our way perfect. He has not set us on a rocky, treacherous path with many stumbling blocks to make us slip and fall. In fact, according to verse 36 He broadens the path that we walk on in order to ensure that we don’t slip.
God also holds us by the hand. Psalm 37:23-24 tells us that in addition to making our steps firm, even if we stumble, we will not fall because He upholds us with His hand.
We learn in Psalm 73:23 that God holds us by our right hand. Keep reading and you will learn why it is important to know that God holds us in our right hand.
But first, lest we think God only stabilized His children in the Old Testament, let’s also look at 1 Corinthians 10:13. This is where we are assured that when we are tempted, God is faithful and will provide a way for us to stand up under the temptation. He does not leave us to our own strength and intellect to find ways to escape the temptation.
God Guides and Watches Us
Let’s also remember that God guides us and watches us. He doesn’t just let us wander around in the dark searching for our way to Him. Instead, through His word He illuminates our path. According to Psalm 119:105, His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. He ensures that we can find our way by following His light. The path that He is lighting for us is the path of life and righteousness where we find fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore in His presence (Psalm 16:11; Psalm 23:3). Yet in those times when we feel like we are walking in darkness, God assures us that we need not fear evil because He is still with us and comforts us (Psalm 23:4). He does not leave us in the dark times of our lives.
We also learn in Psalm 121:7-8 that God watches over us; He knows our coming and going and keeps us from harm. And He guides us with His eye, instructing us and teaching us where we should walk (Psalm 32:8).
Benefits of God Holding Your Right Hand
Just like I held my son’s hand when we went into stores, God holds your hand. He does so for the same reasons I held my son’s hand, to keep you with Him, keep you from getting lost, and to protect you from danger (temptation).
Just as when I held my son’s hand and he could still look around the store, when God holds you by the hand, you can also get distracted by looking around freely and focusing on the things of this world that seem to be very enticing. God continues holding you by your right hand as we learned in Psalm 73:23. But if you are determined to get away from God and go explore more fully the things of the world, you can strongly pull your hand out of His, and God will not fight you. He is a gentle God and gives you the choice to follow Him or to walk away.
There is even more reason for confidence in God. He goes a step further than I did for my son. Psalm 63:8 tells us that God holds us by His right hand. If He holds your hand the way I held my son’s hand, which was my right hand holding his left hand, or vice versa, walking side by side, then you can freely look around and see what beautiful, enticing things are around you. Or maybe you will see many things that need your attention, like the laundry, paying bills, purchasing a new car. You can look around very freely and can easily pull away if you wish.
But God holds your right hand in His right hand. When that happens, you are no longer standing side-by-side. You are standing face to face with God. He is positioning you to look into His eyes, like when you shake someone’s hand. Why? Because, as Psalm 32:8 tells us, God guides us with His eye. He positions us to look into His face so we are less likely to be distracted by the things of this world. We are less likely to struggle and pull our hands from His.
Confidence in God
You can have confidence that God is going to keep you in relationship with Him as long as you want to walk with Him. He holds your hand, lights your path, watches over you and guides you so that you do not unintentionally fall from salvation, from your relationship with Him. He loves you more than you love Him, and He wants you to be with Him. He wants that so much that Jesus Christ died for you to make it possible for you to be with Him. You can walk confidently with our Lord and not fear your every wrong move.
You can live with confidence in God.
photo credit: Billy Simon <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/46243460@N03/4575107158″>Hold Hands</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>(license)</a>
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22 Comments
Melissa Rutherford
Thank you for the additional insight of standing eye to eye as well as hand in hand.
Julie
You are so welcome, and thank you for your comment. That teaching was a life-changer to me when God so lovingly showed it to me. It is so true that His perfect love casts out all fear. 1 John 4:18.
Bridget Johnson
Beautifully written! So thankful for Gods gentle hands holding on to me. God bless you sweet lady.
Julie
Thank you, Bridget.
Diane
Sister Julie,
Great article! It has been my experience in working with people that many struggle with this issue. I struggled with this in the beginning of my walk with God. I believed everything I read in His word but struggled with how I could be used. I could not see my strengths and abilities but more importantly I did not know how to accept His love. Openness is needful in our relationship with God so that we can achieve intimacy with Him. For years I did not voice my thoughts concerning this subject to anyone. Once I acknowledged it and discussed it with God, he showed me it was a lie. I began resisting the enemy by quoting the scriptures about how God loves and protects me, then I obtained victory. Thank you for bringing this subject to light so that others may be set free and know the depth of the love of God.
Julie
Sis. Diane, thank you for your comment and for sharing your experience of God’s deliverance. Psalm 34:4.
Pastor Salas
Gracias Hna Julie. Por una instrucción bíblica refrescante y nutritiva. Enriquecida en el amplio recorrido en la misma Palabra de Dios. La confianza necesita fundamento, fundamento del ser cristiano y entendimiento en la Palabra. Hemos crecido en confianza. Bendiciones
Julie
Pastor Salas, gracias por su comentario, su aliento y su confianza. Es un privilegio compartir la palabra de Dios con el gente de Costa Rica.
José Pablo Murillo
Muchas gracias hermana July. En mi experiencia comparto en este blog, que soy el único aún de mi familia en conocer la verdad, y por la manera en la que fui criado muchas veces me he soltado de la mano de mi Señor. Y solo su infinita misericordia me tiene hoy en sus caminos.Debemos estar enfocados, y nuestras herramientas son la oración, la lectura de la Biblia y el ayuno.
Julie
Hermano Pablo, estoy de acuerdo. Debemos centrarnos y nuestras herramientas son la oración, la lectura de la Biblia y el ayuno. Eso es parte de la belleza de Dios sosteniendo nuestra mano derecha en Su mano derecha. ¡Nos ayuda a mantenernos enfocados en Él y a usar esas herramientas! ¡Aleluya! Gracias por su comentario.
Vicky
Bendiciones bellas palabras
Julie
Muchas gracias, Vicky. Agradezco su tiempo para leer el blog y comentar.
Samantha
Wow! This is so enlightening! I had never thought that His right hand holds my right hand. Thank you so much for this, Sister Julie! It’s so good to know that God holds our hand and that He is always watching over us.
Julie
Thank you, Sis. Samantha, for your comment. I am so thankful that God shines the light in our hearts, “to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6.
Mickey
Julie, you have “walked us through” a wonderful reminder of truth!! The truth that God loves us as His children and we CAN remain confident in His love and care for us.
He truly IS the Author and Finisher of our faith. No matter how long we walk with God we can get snagged up with life and lose our hold on Him. But you showed us that in spite of ourselves He has all intentions of keeping us with Him throughout our lives!
Thank you for committing to strengthening the Body of Christ in these last days!!
Julie
Mickey, thank you for your comment. What a privilege it is to walk hand-in-hand with God and fellow believers as we sharpen each other, encouraging and strengthening each other in our walks with God.
Diana L Hines
Excellent article, This really hit home for me. God has definitely held my hand through many dark times in my life. And it was through His eyes that I stayed on the right path.
Thank you, looking forward to many more great insights.
Julie
Diana, thank you for your comment. It is inspiring to see how God has faithfully held you throughout very difficult times.
Kristen Ellis
Excellent article!!!!!! Powerful content. Thank you for the clear application of these verses that offer such hope!
Julie
Pastor Kristen, thank you for your comment. My love for and application of God’s word is truly a product of being pastored by great people, Bishop Paslay before you, and now you and Pastor Tom. I appreciate the time you took to read the article and to comment.
Debbie Arrowood
What a wonderful insight concerning confidence in the Lord!!! HIS right hand holding MY right hand, not side by side, but facing each other!! I won’t soon forget this analogy, Sis. Julie♥️
Julie
Debbie, thank you so much for your comment. I will never forget when God seemed to put the three verses together for me and assure me that He positions me to look into His face and behold the glory of His love, protection, and guidance: Psalm 63:8 (“… Your [God’s] right hand upholds me.” AMP), Psalm 73:23 (“… You [God] do hold my right hand.” AMP), and Psalm 32:8 (“I [God] will guide thee with mine eye.” KJV). We can be totally confident that He helps us walk with Him according to His will and way.