And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 4:14-15

Once long ago when I worked for a tree company, we were sent to remove a large tree that had uprooted and fallen across a stream. The tricky part about getting it out of the water was that the main stem stretched over the water which was about 5 feet deep at that point.

So I boldly climbed up on the trunk; walked out on it with my chain saw and began cutting loose as much as I could. Finally all that was left was the largest part of the trunk which was supporting the weight of the tree against the bank. In theory, if I cut the weight from the remaining portion, the roots would pull the stump back into position. So as I began my final cut the crew foreman called over to me. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“No problem Mike. I’ve got confidence!” I boldly declared. A minute later suddenly the weight of the trunk dropped away, the roots holding me in place let go and I was tossed head over heels into the cold rushing steam. Miraculously I landing upright and unhurt chest deep in some of the coldest water I had ever been in. But my moment of joyful relief was immediately interrupted by Mike’s hysterical laughter.

“Oh I’ve got confidence! I’ve got confidence!” he shouted over and over.

In the hindsight gained by the passing of forty years I see clearly that the problem was not my lack of confidence but the one in whom I put my trust. But God is not like Me. He doesn’t miscalculate, nor thankfully does He laugh when make a mistake.  But instead when we put our confidence in Him we can trust  that He knows the right answer and that He will show us what to do. He is only waiting to see if we are ready to listen to Him and then we will find Him delighted to hear us and to answer our honest prayer.