Psalm 46:4-11

“He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.” vs. 9

The psalmist envisions a future without war, that one day God will destroy the bombs and cruise missiles, and bring an end to automatic weapons. We’re inclined to regard such predictions as hopelessly naive, the product of a primitive mind, and dismiss them without a second thought. Any of our leaders who gave voice to such notion would be considered a traitor, a threat to national security. Many people calling themselves Christians believe that our only hope is to increase our capacity to kill and destroy. They look to an apocalyptic future with massive wars and ultimate total annihilation. Now it may very well be that such a picture seems more realistic but there’s a cost to that kind of thinking. A person’s vision of the future makes a huge difference in which they live in the present. Pessimists are more likely to be be guarded and protective, ever alert to possible enemies, always anticipating that the worst is yet to come. Optimists, like the psalmist, will hang on to their dreams of peace even in the midst of turmoil and disaster. They trust that God’s ultimate desire is for people to live in harmony and will spend their lives in practicing the love of enemies. So Jesus taught, and so his followers live!

Thought for the Day: Why is it so hard to be optimistic about the future?