Joyous Optimism
by Dick Eastman

Take a quick look at today’s news and it’s hard to be optimistic. Politics, the economy, crime, and a global epidemic of deadly violence has put a cloud on the future. In times like these it can be difficult to embrace the hope and joy promised to us in God’s Word. We’re also tempted to believe that if we just had enough money, everything would be okay.

Jesus had a perspective on life that takes personal securities like money and power and throws them right out the window when He said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-20, NKJV).

Looking at the current state of the world, there is no better time to embrace Christ’s faith-filled attitude toward the future.

No Needs
Jesus didn’t have a problem with people having money; His focus was on priorities. The bottom-line question is: Where do we place our ultimate trust? In money or in God? If our faith is in money and things, we find ourselves in good company with moths and rust. But if we place our faith in God, money doesn’t matter, because God has promised to take care of our basic needs.

Jesus said, “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26, NKJV). If we simply trust God, all of our basic needs will be met.

No Problems
Having the faith to believe that God will provide does not release us from the responsibility of working diligently to help provide for ourselves and our families. The apostle Paul said, “If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever” (1 Timothy 5:8, NKJV). Paul made it even clearer in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (NKJV) when he said, “If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.”

No Worries
Faith in God’s promise to provide will also free our minds from worry. Jesus said, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27, NIV).

Worrying about what might happen tomorrow results from trying to look into the future and seize control of it. But God scoffs at people who try to look beyond Him into the future: “Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you” (Isaiah 47:13, NIV). In Leviticus 20:27 (NASB) God made this frightening statement: “Now a man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones, their bloodguiltiness is upon them.”

God hates fortune tellers because they try to replace faith in Him with foreknowledge. We are tempted to think that if we can just anticipate the future, we can prepare for it in advance. However, the future is in God’s hands and the only way to prepare for the future is by having faith in Him.

In the face of an uncertain future, the key to joyful optimism is balance. If we act responsibly with the time and resources the Lord has entrusted to us, we can have peace knowing that the final outcome is in His hands.

The hope we have in Christ doesn’t mean that we will never experience difficult trials, but we have hope that when the final Word is spoken, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28, NASB).

Dick Eastman is the international president of Every Home for Christ. He also serves as president of America’s National Prayer Committee. Dick’s passion for prayer and world evangelism has prompted him to write a dozen books on the subjects, including his latest “Delight” trilogy, devoted to intercessory worship and praise.