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Bible Verses for Optimists and Optimism 

"And God saw all things that he had made, and they were very good"  Genesis 1:31

Matthew 9:29  "According to your faith be it unto you"

Commended by Norman Vincent Peale as "a basic law of successful living"

 

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Commended by Bradley Berg

 

 

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid."

Commended by Bradley Berg

 

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Commended by Jack Wellman

 

Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Cited by  Rachael Popcak, Gregory Popcak, Craig Groeschel, Jack Wellman

Romans 8:31 “If God be for us, who can be against us?”

Commended by Norman Vincent Peale who says "Ten times a day repeat these dynamic words"

 

Jeremiah 32:40-41: "I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and soul."

Cited by Dr Charley Lynn Chase

 

Acts 2:42-44 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.”

Commended by Jack Wellman

 

Romans 15:13   “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

Commended by Archbishop Philip Freier 

 

Ephesians 5:18b-19 “be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.”

Commended by Jack Wellman

 

 

Philippians 4:4-8   "Always be joyful, then, in the Lord; I repeat, be joyful.  Let your good sense be obvious to everybody. The Lord is near.  Never worry about anything; but tell God all your desires of every kind in prayer and petition shot through with gratitude, and the peace of God which is beyond our understanding will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.  Finally, brothers, let your minds be filled with everything that is true, everything that is honourable, everything that is upright and pure, everything that we love and admire -- with whatever is good and praiseworthy."

Commended by Bob Roane and Victor Perton

 

Lamentations 3:21–23: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Cited by Peter N. Landless

 

Philippians 4:13  “I can do all things through Christ” 

Commended by Loren Houltberg,

 

Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Cited by Randy Alcorn and Jack Wellman

 

Psalm 27:13-14 “I believe I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord!”

Commended by Rev Dan Safarik

Psalm 37:1-11 (King James Version)

37 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.  Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

 

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Jack Welllman

Don’t we have every reason to be optimistic?  We have had our sins forgiven (Col 1:14).  We have had the righteousness of Christ imputed or accounted toward us (2 Cor 5:21) and we who have repented and trusted in Christ have eternal life (John 3:16).  This means that when Christ returns, we won’t have to face the so-called second death (Rev 20:14) and that gives believers every reason to have optimism about their future.

 

Rachael Popcak and Gregory Popcak in "Authentic Optimism – How Do We Actually Make Our Lives Better?"

Sometimes it feels like it’s hard to be optimistic in the midst of stressful situations. But often this is due to a misunderstanding of what true optimism really means.

Theology of The Body reminds us that optimism isn’t rooted in wishing our problems away or telling ourselves pretty lies about how things aren’t really as bad as they seem.  TOB explains that our optimism is rooted in the fact that at the beginning of time, God had a plan for the world and that–in spite of sin thwarting that plan in the present–God’s plan will be restored through grace at the end of time.  The fact is, as St Paul reminds us in Rom 8:28 all things work to the good for those who love God.

 

Randy Alcorn in "Godly Optimism"

If we build our lives on the redemptive work of Christ, we should all be optimists. Why? Because even our most painful experience in life is but a temporary setback. Our pain and suffering may or may not be relieved in this life, but they will certainly be relieved in the next. That is Christ’s promise—no more death or pain. He will wipe away all our tears (Revelation 21:4). He took our sufferings on Himself so that one day He might remove all suffering from us, which is the biblical foundation for our optimism. No Christian should be a pessimist. We should be realists, focused on the reality that we serve a sovereign and gracious God. Because of the certainty of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and His promises, biblical realism is optimism.

 

Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear cardiologist

"We may choose to be optimistic, especially as we recall the wonderful promises of Scripture such as Lamentations 3:21–23: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

 

Craig Groeschel

optimism is “the unwavering expectation that our loving God is working in every situation for our future good.”

 

Dr Paul J. Dean

Part of how we navigate the world God’s given us is through right thinking and right attitude. We suffer, life is hard sometimes, but Christians should basically be optimistic because God has redeemed us, has given us things to do, and is with us in those endeavors.

Optimism drives how we plan and make decisions.

At the same time, we must recognize we’re living under the sovereign and providential hand of God. We live in light of James 4: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’;  whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil” (13-16).

So, we make our plans submitted to the sovereign decree of God. We’re optimistic in those plans: seeking to multiply the “talents” God has given us (Matt. 25:14-30) while resting in God’s providence for us. We must have a can-do attitude.

 

Dr Charley Lynn Chase in "Fueling Optimism about God: Bible Verses that Help You Stay a Grace-Focused Optimist"

We begin with Jeremiah 32:40-41: I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts that they may not turn from me. I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and soul.

These words give us five optimism-fueling facts.

Optimism-fueling fact one: In these words God commits to you. These words are as much yours as a check written to you or a present with your name on itThe apostle Peter assures you that through Jeremiah’s “precious and very great promises” (2 Peter 1:4) God is speaking to you as directly and individually as He did when He called to Adam in the Garden of Eden.

Optimism-fueling fact two: In these words God commits to doing something for you. That’s what a “covenant” is. It’s the equivalent of God signing an ironclad, no loophole contract. It’s a formal, official, no-walking-it-back promise, written with the indelible ink of God’s faithfulness on the stationary of His omnipotence. In sum, a covenant is God telling us, “May I cease being God if I don’t do for you what I give you my word I’ll do.”

Optimism-fueling fact three: In these words God commits to being good to you. Reread the verses and you’ll see He says this twice. Repetition is God’s way of enlarging the font for emphasis. He wants you to know He’s as serious about being good to you as He is about casting Satan into the lake of fire. You can’t get more serious than that!

Optimism-fueling fact four: In these words God commits to being good to you all the time. He says He “will not turn away” from doing you good. That means He won’t stop. Ever. Not even for a split second. Moment by moment, He’s up to your good. You can say to every second of every day of every week of every month of every year of your life what Joseph said to his brothers: “God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). The New Testament’s one sentence autobiography of Jesus is “He went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). And through Jesus, God is going about doing you good—all the time!

Optimism-fueling fact five: In these words God gladly commits to being good to you all the timeHe “rejoices” in doing you good. Meaning it brings Him pleasure. What pleasure? The pleasure of demonstrating His incomparable grace by being good to one who deserves nothing but the worst. Doing good to you satisfies Him, makes the angels sing, and elicits praise from others. Doesn’t it make you praise Him too?

Bradly Berg PhD,  Encompassed Purpose

"Listen to what the one that created you says about optimism.

"John 14:27 ESV "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

"Jeremiah 29:11 ESV "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

"Gratitude and the mind set God intended will make yours and others life spectacular."

Norman Vincent Peale in The Tough-Minded Optimist

"Again and again in the Bible references are made to joy, faith, optimism. “These things,” Jesus said, “have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.” (John 15: 11) Take optimism, therefore, as medicine for the body, mind and soul. Optimism is based on faith, hope and expectation; and there is therapeutic value in the mere act of hoping. The Bible recognizes this also in a moving passage: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” (Ps. 42: 11 ) It is to say that if you have hope in God and expectation, it will show on your face as health and vitality."

 

Rev. Dr. George Hancock-Stefan

"One has to love the King James Version of the Bible where we find this verse, “Fret not!” Is my life ruled by this fretting about things or an optimism for life? There are so many verses about worrying in the Bible, but the commandment is always not to worry. Jesus says, “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life (or a cubit to his height)?” My life is in the hands of the Lord and worrying cannot prolong or shorten it. The other word related to worrying is the word concern. While I do not want to fret or be worried, concern compels me to be wise in the decisions that I am making. Apostle Paul was concerned about the churches he started. Yet even in his concern for all the churches, he came to the realization that he must entrust them to the hands of the Lord to take care of them."

 

Bob Roane

"The Lord is always working in ways that leave us amazed at the outcomes. That’s what I mean by Christian optimism. The Psalmist prays, “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

 

Keith Oliver

"For the believer, love, and most importantly, unselfish love, is the key to living a fruitful, abundant and optimistic lifestyle."

 

Rev Dan Safarik

"In the midst of our long pandemic-wait, I look for hopeful verses in the Bible. There is great optimism in Psalms 27:13-14, “I believe I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord, be strong, and let your heart take courage, wait for the Lord!”

 

Vanessa Hughes, Assistant Minister at St Andrew’s Roseville

"God tells us, ‘I am making everything new!’ (Rev 21:5). I love the sense of hope and optimism in this verse."

 

Pastor Thomas Schwartz Collinsville Community Church

"It seems that much of our contemporary culture conspires to rob us of the contentment, happiness, joy, peace and well-being that God desires for us. Everywhere we turn, we are bombarded and pounded by the bad and the sad — in art, in books, on the internet, in movies, in music and on television. It’s challenging to be hopeful, optimistic and positive thinkers in such a relentlessly negative environment.  However, as the little girl reminded her mother, if we choose to be people of prayer, we need not worry. If we choose to be people of worry, we might as well not pray. That’s why we read in Philippians, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Turn Down the News: Habits of an Optimist

  

Read More From Optimists on their Optimism

Gratitude JournalProject Optimism has produced "The Optimist's Gratitude Journal: 100 days to share and develop your gratitude" which is very helpful.

See https://www.amazon.com/Optimists-Gratitude-Journal-develop-gratitude/dp/B09MC5ZNPX

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