The reason for one’s optimism makes all the difference.
If a man trusts in his own effort or his own chance, then he is doomed to fail:”Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
If we are optimistic because of other people, believing that they will see us through or help us through everything, then we are cursed:”Thus saith the LORD, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm and whose heart departeth from the LORD.” (Jeremiah 17:5)
Then is there an optimism which is beneficial to mankind? Yes — Faith in God:”Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.” (Jeremiah 17:7)”Trust” renders the Hebrew word “בָּטַח batach”, which means “to rely, or to lean on” Rather than striving in our strength or trusting in someone else’s power, those who lean on the Lord, trusting Him to see a man through all things has every reason to be optimistic.
David outlines the role of trust, an optimism of faith, that leads a man to do well, and thus inherit and be satisfied:”Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.” (Psalm 37:3)First, we trust (again, “betach” or lean on) the Lord, then we do good. For those who choose to live by grace, we do nothing of ourselves, but all we accomplish we do through the power of the Holy Spirit working in us. When we are operating in God’s power, we dwell (שָׁכַן shakan, abide– and the text manifests it as an imperative, and invitation), and “thou shalt be fed.”
Now, the original text for “thou shalt be fed” reads something far more profound about the faith-walk of a believer:”Befriend faithfulness.” English Standard Version “Cultivate faithfulness.” New American Standard Bible “Seek faithfulness.” Aramaic Bible in Plain English The original Hebrew reads: “וּרְעֵ֥ה u·re·’eh cultivate אֱמוּנָֽה׃ e·mu·nah faithfulnessHere, רָעָה ra’ah is the root word for “cultivate”, which speaks of friendship, or breaking bread, or feed on, devour (like Communion) In effect, God wants us to live a life living off of faith! He wants us to do everything in faith, to eat, sleep, graze, receive everything by faith!
Yet this Faith is based on the Lord, returning to David’s first exhortation:”Trust in the Lord.”How then do we feed on faith? By meditating on God’s Word!”Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live. ” (Deuteronomy 8:3)Which Jesus quoted when rebuffing the Enemy’s attacks of temptation (cf 4:4)
When a man trusts in the Lord, meditating on His Word, he has the surest, infinite basis for being optimistic!
