Psalm 85:8-13

“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.” vs. 10

The psalmist was full of optimism about the future. He knew that the essence of God was goodness, and he believed that ultimately, whatever the conditions of his day, there would be peace and plenty for God’s faithful people. Some folks in our day are having a hard time conjuring up a vision of that benevolent God. They almost seem to prefer a future vision with apocalyptic overtones, a world in which there is a cataclysmic collision of great powers, and wholesale destruction. Now it may be that there are some rough patches ahead as some of the real tensions in our world find resolution. But that can never be the last word for those who are followers of the Jesus revealed in the gospels. In him the words of the psalmist were fulfilled–steadfast love and faithfulness met–righteousness and peace kissed each other. And those same things are happening right now in his Body throughout the world. Of course those beautiful encounters aren’t often picked up by the scandal-seeking media, and we won’t see them on the six o’clock newshour. But they’re happening nonetheless, and when we see them in our congregations and neighborhoods we’ll feel the psalmist’s optimism creep into our bones. “Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. The Lord will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.”

Thought for the Day: Why am I optimistic about the future?