“Now look, God Himself is with us as our head, and His priests with sounding trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O children of Israel, do not fight against the Lord God of your fathers, for you shall not prosper!” (2 Chronicles 13:12). 

University students in the United States today are more self-confident than those of previous generations. Psychologist Jean Twenge studied changes in self-confidence between 1966 and 2010. She found that freshmen have been increasingly rating themselves as being better than their peers in the areas of “academic ability, drive to achieve, mathematical ability, and self-confidence.” 

So, was all this increase in self-confidence a good thing? According to some psychologists, not much evidence has been found that shows self-esteem actually leads to tangible, positive outcomes. Sadly, American freshmen have not seen themselves as doing better than their peers in the areas of cooperativeness, understanding others, and religion. 

Abijah, the ancient king of Judah, compared his tribe to the northern tribes who were about to attack him. Yet, Abijah’s confidence was not self-confidence. It was rooted in God’s faithfulness to His promise. When faced with an army twice as large as his own, Abijah began his speech to his enemies by reminding them of God’s promise. “Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?” he asked (2 Chronicles 13:5). Because of God’s promise to his great-grandfather David, Abijah was able to confidently say that his army could not lose. 

Abijah also proclaimed that the Judeans had showed their faith in God’s salvation by carrying out the sanctuary service. On the other hand, the northern tribes worshiped golden calves and copied the practices of “the peoples of other lands” (verse 8, 9). 

When the speech was over, Abijah’s army fought the battle and won. His confidence had not been misplaced. He knew that God keeps His promises to those who love Him and follow His instructions. 

Father, please transform me to be Your obedient follower, and remind me to put my confidence in You.