Confusion

“In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.” (Psalm 71:1)

That’s something you don’t hear too much about in church, Bible class, or in general conversation; confusion. After all, our faith in Jesus is firm. We believe in His love and righteousness towards us. We know that Christ is our Lord and Savior. We rest securely in the fact that He is the way, the truth, and the light. And as the Psalmist just wrote, "O Lord, do I put my trust". How could we as a Christian, a child of God a brother/sister of Jesus possibly be confused, right?

First off, there is a difference between confusion and doubt. A good example of the difference can be found in Luke 1. Gabriel announced to Zacharias that his wife Elisabeth was going to become pregnant with John. Zacharias doubted the angel and said, “Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.” (Luke 1:18)

Gabriel said, “And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.” (Luke 1:20)

Six months later the angel Gabriel came to Mary saying, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31)

Mary was at first troubled by the angel and then confused by the news. She asked, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?”

Gabriel explained how the Holy Ghost would overshadow her and she would conceive remarking, “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37)

Zacharias doubted and was made dumb during his wife Elisabeth’s pregnancy. Mary was confused by what Gabriel had said, inquired about it but didn’t doubt. She became pregnant and eventually gave birth to Jesus Christ.

Just because our connection to Christ is secure and we have no doubts that all things are possible through Him, doesn’t mean we can’t be confused by scripture, callings or by any series of events that may be playing out in our life at that moment.

There is an expression, “God Moves In Mysterious Ways”. It’s kind of a default response for Christians when something happens that we don’t understand. Well, God never moves in mysterious ways, only in ways that we don’t understand and that confuses our feeble, carnal minds. And that’s OK. Ours is not to necessarily know but to have faith in the One who does. Read the closing verses of Roman 11 for more on things of God that are too high for man to grasp.

It’s also important to highlight that the word confused comes from the Hebrew word, “buwsh”. It means to be astonished and confounded, but also by implication it means to be ashamed or disappointed, delayed.

What could that mean, to pray to God that we are never to be ashamed or disappointed?

You can rest assured that God’s word will reveal things of self that will cause us shame. After all, it is the purpose of the Law to bring sin to our attention. You can’t fix what you don’t know is broke. But this shame is between you and our Lord. So is the solution, Jesus Christ.

There is another shame though that the word can cause and that’s between you and the world. The parable of the sower talks about this. Remember what happened to the seed that landed in stony places?

“But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.” (Matthew 13:20-21)

That person who received God’s word was just fine and dandy until the world chimed in. Then he became ashamed and then apostatized.

But in the very next verse of Psalm 71 the Psalmist prays, “Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline thine ear unto me, and save me.” (Psalm 71:2).

This is your surefire “escape” for the elect when either confused or ashamed!

Now look how the Psalm is concluded. Look what that same righteousness does that saved the elect that was formerly confused.

“My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long: for they are confounded, for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.” (Psalm 71:24)

That same word, that same righteousness, and that same Lord that helped you to escape confusion and shame, led the unrighteous right to it.

Bill Hitchcock