Optimism

 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord make the words that you have prophesied come true, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles.

Jeremiah 28:6 ESV
https://bible.com/bible/59/jer.28.6.ESV

When false prophets prophesy good things (as they almost invariably do), we can like Jeremiah say 'amen'. Of course we want good things to happen. Nobody likes a harbinger of doom.

There may well be a healthy dose of sarcasm in Jeremiah's tone here. He knew it would be nice if Judah's exile was only a couple of years. He also knew from God however that the exile would be seventy years.

I'm reminded of WWI, where the powers that be confidently asserted that the boys would be home by Christmas. Of course, it ground on for another four years. Then there's Putin's 'military operation' in Ukraine that everyone else sees as the futile war it is.

Beware those who assume that it's our divine right to be delivered by God. Salvation isn't cheap. It comes at the cost of Christ's broken body and shed blood.

'Lord Almighty, guard us against over-optimism we pray. Please instil a healthy realism within us, to rely on You. In Jesus' name, amen'

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