Do you ever wish you could borrow someone else’s boldness? Maybe the woman who seems to lead her life with certainty and grace while you’re just trying to gather courage to speak up in a group text.
We can admire bold women and still quietly wonder, Is that kind of confidence even possible for me?
Here’s the thing. Biblical confidence isn’t about personality. It’s about trust.
God doesn’t ask us to copy someone else’s calling, fake our own confidence, or force ourselves into a role that doesn’t fit. He simply asks us to trust Him fully. And that kind of trust? It’s what gives us the courage to say yes to things that scare us … to follow through even when our hands are shaking.
And one of the most beautiful, raw, and brave examples of this kind of trust comes from a teenage girl named Mary.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary in Luke 1, his message was shocking. She would carry the Son of God.
She had never been with a man. She had no title, no influence, and every reason to say, “You’ve got the wrong girl.”
But here’s what she said instead: “I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
No bargaining. No disclaimers. No desperate attempt to manage her image.
Mary’s confidence didn’t come from certainty about how things would turn out. It came from confidence in the Lord. Confidence in His character, His plan, and His ability to use her even when nothing made sense.
Biblical confidence is believing that God is who He says He is and choosing to trust Him even when we can’t see what’s ahead. It’s not control—it’s surrender.
Mary didn’t post an announcement. She didn’t ask to be seen. She quietly said yes, and that yes changed the world.
We often picture confidence as big and visible. But confidence in the Lord often shows up in small, obedient moments—the kind no one sees.
Mary didn’t need a platform. She needed faith. She didn’t have certainty. She had trust.
She didn’t have a clear path. She had the presence of God with her.
And the same is true for us.
Confidence Looks Like Quiet Trust
In my career, I’ve been in more difficult meetings and conversations than I can count. There have been times I’ve wanted to jump in, defend myself, or correct someone who misunderstood me or the team I was leading.
But I’ve learned—albeit through pain and lots of time—to listen to the Holy Spirit in those moments. And more often than not, I’m prompted to sit in quiet confidence and wait.
Wait until I have something intentional to say. Wait until I can speak with clarity and grace. And honestly? Sometimes what I’m prompted to say still terrifies me. It feels uncomfortable. It’s often not the most “strategic” choice. But when I trust God with the outcome, when I obey, I’ve never regretted it.
That’s not confidence in me. That’s confidence in Him.
And that confidence has grown every time I say yes, even quietly.
What Mary Teaches Us About True Confidence in the Lord
Mary didn’t have a ten-step plan. But her response to God gives us a beautiful picture of what confidence in the Lord really looks like.
1. Confidence sometimes says yes without seeing the full picture.
Mary asked a clarifying question (“How can this be…?”), but she didn’t demand a detailed explanation. She didn’t wait to say yes until she had all the answers. She trusted God’s Word and took the next step.
You don’t have to know everything to be faithful. You just need to trust the One who does.
2. Confidence grows in surrender, not striving.
Mary wasn’t trying to make something happen. She didn’t audition for the role of “Messiah’s mother.” She simply made herself available.
Confidence grows when we stop trying to be impressive and start being available.
3. Confidence walks through both favor and fear.
Mary had “found favor with God” (Luke 1:30) but her life didn’t suddenly get easy. She faced gossip, danger, rejection, childbirth in a barn, and a sword-piercing kind of grief. But through it all, she kept saying yes.
Confidence doesn’t mean life is smooth. It means we know who walks with us when it’s not.
Confidence Begins with a Quiet Yes
What might it look like for you to step into confidence? You don’t have to be loud to be brave. You don’t have to be certain to be obedient. You don’t have to be the boldest woman in the room to be used by God.
You just have to say yes.
Confidence in the Lord doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it whispers, “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word.”
And that whisper can echo across generations.
Maybe you’re facing something new, scary, or unknown. Maybe you’re holding a God-sized dream or sitting in a room where you don’t feel like you belong. Or maybe you’re simply exhausted and unsure what your next step is.
Friend, you don’t have to hold it all together. You just have to trust the One who holds you.
Say yes. Trust His Word. And watch what He can do through your quiet, confident obedience.
Ready to Grow in Godly Confidence?
If you’re longing to walk in deeper trust and courage rooted in Christ, you’re not alone, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own either. Here are a few articles that are full of biblical wisdom and practical encouragement to help you step forward in faith with confidence in the Lord.
