The confidence that the Psalmist expressed here was clearly not confidence in himself. He didn't say, "I have enough grace to finish what concerns me. My faith is so steady it will never stumble. My love burns so hot it will never grow cold. My willpower is so strong that nothing can break it." No! His confidence rested on the Lord alone.

Listen to me: if you build your confidence on anything other than the Rock of Ages, that confidence is worse than a dream. It will collapse on top of you and bury you in its rubble. Everything that human nature weaves, time will unravel. And those who wrap themselves in their own achievements will stand naked at the end.

The Psalmist was wise. He rested on nothing less than God's own work. Think about it: the Lord is the one who began the good work in you. He is the one who has kept it going. And if he doesn't finish it, it will never be complete. If there is even one thread in the heavenly garment of our righteousness that we have to stitch in ourselves, then we are utterly lost.

But here is our confidence: the Lord who began will complete. He has done it all. He must do it all. He will do it all. Our confidence must never rest in what we have done or what we plan to do. It rests entirely in what the Lord will do.

Unbelief loves to whisper its poison: "You'll never make it. Look at the evil in your heart! You can't conquer sin. Think about all those temptations waiting for you. You'll give in. You always do."

And yes! We would perish if left to our own strength. If we had to sail our fragile little boats across this violent sea alone, we might as well abandon ship right now. But thanks be to God, he will finish what concerns us. He will bring us safe to harbor.

You can never be too confident when your confidence is in him alone. And you can never be too careful to make sure that's where your confidence truly lies.