Confidence in the Lord

"Be of good courage and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight."
2 Samuel 10:12
In some sports people do different things to get charged up before they even play. When David sent men to show the King of the Ammonites kindness, the king thought they wanted to spy on the city and he "shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away." The Bible says they were humiliated.
In the Old Testament warriors fought fiercely for God and stood up  to challenges that threatened God's place in their lives. Still, Joab was careful in his confidence and told his brother Abishai, "the Lord will do what is good in His sight." That is a confident leader committed to his calling. Joab knew he was called to obedience, not success. We may do what God has for us to do, and in the end it looks like failure, or even humiliation like David's envoy when they met the Ammonites. But if we know God and His calling on our life, we can proceed with confidence and assurance and leave the outcome up to Him. Think about it: sometimes the work He needs to do is IN us, and not THROUGH us.