God make me bold.

On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:3 NASB

 Over the last three months, we have been encouraged time and again to be BOLD. Bold in approaching our Abba father, bold in sharing our faith, bold and confident in our identity in Christ. I am sure we all can say Amen! It is how we want to live. However, sometimes for many of us, this is easier said than done. We do not always feel confident. I know sometimes I do not.

Sometimes, fear gets in the way, and we feel very exposed and uncertain and find it hard to speak out for Christ. Could it cause a relationship to falter? Could we be shamed and disliked, even ostracized at work?

Sometimes circumstances bring us low. Finances are threatened (or non-existent). Illness has been diagnosed as terminal. Our job is gone. Our marriage is crumbling. In these places, it is very hard to feel bold. We feel defeated. Our mind tells us even God cannot fix this. We are weary and feel we have nothing to bring in solving these issues. Maybe we have been praying for a long time, and nothing has happened. How can we be bold? God appears not to be listening, not interested or just saying, “Sorry, but NO.”

In places like this, what can we do? Well, David gives us a clear answer. Remember how David had been promised that he was God’s chosen King? Yet he spent years running and hiding from Saul, with his very life at risk. What does he do? HE CALLS ON GOD. He just takes that one step to cry out to God. What happens? GOD COMES (Note – on that day) and MAKES HIM BOLD AND STRENGTHENS HIS SOUL. This is not brash boldness. This is strength in his soul to know God is there and ensuing confidence in God’s goodness. The result is a song of praise. (Read all of Psalm 138, it is so good!). David has the strength and confidence to sing God’s praises to all.

When I feel a situation is hopeless, this is what I need above all else. So, if we feel hopeless and helpless and call out to God, and He comes and strengthens our soul, what does the Bible tell us will happen?

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Power to hope! Joy and peace! Not necessarily a new job right away but the ability to trust that He will provide for us and to live in a place of hope. This hope is not something we ‘mustered up.’ It comes by ‘the power of the Holy Spirit.’ I’ll have some, please! Holy Spirit, come.

Acts 4:31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

What did they pray for?

Acts 4:30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. YES! We serve a God who heals, a God of miracles. We are not just given hope. We are given the ability to speak boldly (but always gently) through the Holy Spirit. We are given confidence that we serve a God who heals. NOTHING is beyond His capability. When we cry out, the Holy Spirit strengthens our soul, and we are able to focus on God afresh. The problems may remain, but we may know they are in God’s hands.

In some circumstances, God may just miraculously remove (we should never rule out the possibility of a miracle). We serve a God of miracles!

In some circumstances, God may use others to resolve. The counsel of the saints (That’s good teaching and advice from mature Christians), the medical advances God has bestowed on doctors, and the world (a friend of a friend knows of a job made for you). God is in charge of it all, uses it all, and we love to watch Him work perfectly!

Sometimes God may just give us the grace to wait and/or walk through. He promises us that He will stay close and comfort us through these times.

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

If being bold today seems like an overwhelming task, remember to do ONE thing. Call out to God and tell Him that you want to be bold and confident (even if you feel like you can’t). He will come, and He will answer you and make you bold with strength in your soul.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Abba, today I want very much to be bold and confident in You. I am facing a lot of difficult things, and sometimes I feel overwhelmed and even afraid. Please come to me and strengthen my soul. Give me new hope and confidence so I can witness to Your goodness. Give me the strength to live where I am and the courage to trust You for what comes next. I praise You that You are a faithful God. I praise You with David’s song.

Psalm 138

3 When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me. 

4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, LORD, when they hear what you have decreed. 

5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. 

6 Though the LORD is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly; though lofty, he sees them from afar. 

7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me. 

Thank you, Abba!

Come now to me and strengthen my soul.

In Jesus name

AMEN