View Of Optimism

 

 

This optimism comes from faith and hope:

Faith in God being the beneficent, and hope for what He is going to do.

 

Successively After the flood of water, there was

the Ark. And God promised that He shall never

destroy the earth anymore (Gn 8). After the

Crucifixion events, there was the joy of the

resurrection. As God said to His disciples: "but I will

see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your

joy no man will take from you." (Jn 16:22)…. your

sorrow shall be turned into joy.

Yes indeed, God can turn all sorrow into

joy.

The dark night, no matter how dark it becomes,

the bright dawn will come, the proverb says that

dawn comes after the darkest hours of the night.

A person who lives in the joy of hope, never

gets tired, he feels that the winter cold will be

successively have the warmth of spring afterwards…

History gives us many examples of hope.

When the human being committed sin, he was

driven out of heaven, but a promise from God for

salvation was always there, it didn't stop at the

driving out stage… then comes the promise for the

paradise, then for the heavenly kingdom….which

means to a better life.

Likewise, death is a stage where a human being

doesn't stop at, as after that there will be the

resurrection, and then the eternal glories with the

spiritual body, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,

Nor have entered into the heart of man The things

which God has prepared for those who love him."

(1Co 2:9).

So let's observe carefully the white points

in all our surroundings.

Also view the story of Creation and how it

commenced.

"The earth was without form, and void; and

darkness was upon the face of the deep." (Gn 1:2).

Though hope is being concealed in the successive

phrase: "And the Spirit of God was hovering over

the face of the waters . Then God said, “Let there be

light”; and there was light. And God saw the light,

that it was good.” (Gn 1:3,4).

If man has faith inside his heart, he shall see

prosperity in eve rything.

Man will then not see the current

darkness, but he will look to the light that will

come. In other words, not seeing what is

happening now but what God has prepared for us

for later on.

Concerning this issue, let us meditate upon the

lives of some of God's saints.

Observe the life of Job the righteous in his

trial, and see how it turned to be with him.

In his trial, he had lost everything, all his sons,

his house, his belongings. He lost his health, lost

his dignity among his friends and even in front of

his servants..! Though God among all this was

preparing for his salvation, and compensated him

with twice as much as he had before, the Lord

blessed the latter end of Job more than his

beginning (Job 42:1-17). “After this Job lived one

hundred and forty years, and saw his children and

grandchildren for four generations.”.

The same almost goes for Josef the righteous.

He had so many discomforts in his life: his brothers'

envy to him, they also sold him as a slave. And in spite

of his faithfulness in Potiphar's house, he was unfairly

accused of dishonesty and was thrown into ja il where

he stayed for a while… But Hope was always in front of

him so let's see what God has done with him..

He became the second in the kingdom "a father to

Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler

throughout all the land of Egypt." (Gn 45:8). His

brothers came to him and kneeled between his arms,

he saw his father Jacob and his brother Benjamin, his

sons were blessed by his father and he lived for a

hundred and ten years.

I used to say: remember three phrases during

every trouble you face:

God is present (Rabena mawgoud), everything is

for the best interest (kolo lelkheir), it will come to an

end (mesirha tantahi).

There isn't any difficulty that lasts, however long it

might stay, it should end, the difficulty rises in a

pyramid shape till it reaches its top then slides

downwards and finishes……it will come to an end, it will

end in a good way. Yes indeed, everything goes for the

best because God is present.

By the optimistic view-meaning with Hope-you

know with certain that God will interfere.

And when God interferes-which he definitely will-all

the problems will be solved, all the difficulties will go

away, and the situation will be fixed up.

Nehemiah the prophet: he was discomforted on

hearing the bad news, he cried, he fasted and prayed.

The walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and the

gates were consumed with fire. But God interfered and

gave him favor in the eyes of Artaxerxes the king of the

Persians. Nehemiah traveled and built the walls of

Jerusalem, thus returning peace and righteous to its

people…

So whenever you see broken walls, say within your

heart: God will definitely send us another Nehemiah to

rebuild it, and we shall never be disgraced anymore.

And as God sent Nehemiah to rebuild the

broken down walls, He also sent David the little

boy to save everyone from Goliath and his

threats.

People were scared, the army was frightened, and

also was Saul the King. This was very distressing.

Goliath was dangerously armed and was scary in his

huge body, yet the optimistic look never departed

David's heart and said his phrase which is full of

tranquility: "Let no man's heart fail because of him" ( S

15

17:32), and promised to go and fight him. And when

he was going for the fight, Hope never departed him,

instead he said "This day the Lord will deliver you into

mine hand" "for the battle is the Lord's, and he will

give you into our hands." (1S 17:46, 47).

So, each Goliath you meet in your life never let

your heart fail because of him. On the contrary, with

all Hope make sure that God will send you David with

his sling and stone to fight him for you, and saves

you.

Even if you are restrained in between the

Red Sea and the chariots of Pharaoh, remember

St. Moses phrase" The Lord will fight for you,

and you shall hold your peace." (Ex 14:14).

Don't you ever say we're lost, don't give up, and

never let faith with all its optimistic view depart from

you, have strong faith. Be confident that The Lord is

capable of dividing the sea and make for you a road

through it. And you will safely get out, as was written

"the just shall live by faith" (He 10:38).

The view of fear and suspicion, brings

desperation - but the optimistic view and faith,

is confident that The Lord will do something,

even if at the 24th hour.

And if we do not trust God's hand in incidents, we

will definitely become discomforted….

Let's remember God's saying "Fear not; for I am

with you" and also David's saying to The Lord who is

his Shepherd "though I walk through the valley of the

shadow of death, I will fear no evil" (Ps 23). And God

was with David and saved him from all Saul

conspiracies which were against him, and saved him

from fighting Absalom, from counsel of Ahithophel,

and also from the troubles of the Joab son of Zeruiah.

Jeremiah as well had encountered the same

Divine encouragement; he was a boy, afraid of his

mission, so God told him "Do not be dismayed before

their faces… For behold, I have made you this day A

fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls

against the whole land… They will fight against you,

But they shall not prevail against you. For I am with

you”, says the Lord, “to deliver you."” (Jr 1:17-19).

Also Hannah the wife of Elkanah, she was barren,

Peninnah her adversary provoked her and made her

cry, with Hope, God gave her a son who is Samuel

the Prophet.

About this Hope and optimistic view, God

says about women who don't bear children:

"Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break

forth into singing, and cry aloud,… Enlarge the place

of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of

your dwellings… For you shall expand to the right and

to the left. And your descendants will inherit the

nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited. Do

not fear, for you will not be ashamed” (Is 54:1-4).

And with the same words of encouragement,

He says about all those who are in trouble:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because

the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to

the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening

of the prison to those who are bound… To comfort all

who mourn" (Is 61:1-2).

The optimistic view is nice and consoling,

also is the feeling of Hope in God's deeds.

It's not what we see, but what God sees for

us.

And it's not what we do, but what God does

for us.

That's how we should think, and we should also

confidently wait, as David the Prophet says in the

psalm "Wait on the Lord ; Be of good courage, And He

shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!"

(Ps 27:14).

But if man fears and says I'm lost, so this is not

out of Faith or out of Hope, and this doesn't benefit

the heart at all.

Who might have thought that Moses the child was

sentenced to death before he was even

born(according to Pharaoh's order to the midwives),

this same Moses becomes a great prophet, and God's

speaker, many miracles is been done by him…!

Who might have thought that Mary Magdalene,

who had been healed of seven evil spirits (Lk 8:2),

might become a disciple for God, and a bringer of

good news of Resurrection to his disciples (Mk 16:9).

It is the work of God in all of them; it is which we

wait for with Hope…

Or who might have thought that Saul the

Tarsusian, who was aggressively persecuting the

church, and who brought men and women to Jail

(Acts 1), might become the greatest Apostle in

Christianity, as he "labored more abundantly than

they all" ( Co 15:10), he was caught up into Paradise,

and heard inexpressible words (2Co 12:4 :)…

It is God's deeds that are beyond description…..

Or who might have thought that Aryanus the

governor, who was one of the most violent and cruel

governors in the days of king Dekledianus, might God

works in his heart, believes in Christianity and

become a martyr.

Not only all that, but also the Romanian

country, who severely and cruelly persecuted

Christianity, issues Milan Decree in the year 313

declaring the religion freedom, then it becomes a

Christian country…it is Hope that makes every person

looks optimistically to the future believing in God's

work.

This "Hope" also was known to the church in

repentance of lots of sinners.

For example, the repentance of St. Ignatius, St.

Moses the black, St. Mary the Coptic, St. Pilagya, St.

Sarah… How desperate were their lives, but there is

definitely no desperation with the work of God who is

able to raise up children to Abraham from stones. (Mt

3:9).

God's work can change hearts; can even rebuild

those hearts, as previously promised… "Then will I

sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean… I

will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within

you… I will put my spirit within you and cause you to

walk in My statutes, and you will keep my judgments

and do them…" (Ez 36:25-27).

God is able to get forth sweetness out of the

strong, and forth meat out of the eater.

He is able to transform the sinner into a

saint.

We can see God's work in our daily life, in Egypt

and in the land of Emigration, and also in the

spreading of the church in all the continents of the

world.

God's work in the past, gives us confidence and

Hope in what he will do in the future.

God who has worked with the people, and with

the idolatry till He destroyed it, and who also broke

the sting of the atheism, is capable of work now and

at all times.