A few weeks ago I had lunch with several different pastors in the area. As I listened to their descriptions of current ministry issues or struggles I realized a common undercurrent ran through each description.

Pessimism.

There seemed to be little hope or faith that things would improve or transform. It was as though the ministries were stuck in the mud and the pastors were resigned to gradually sinking deeper in despair.

My brothers, this should not be so.

Now, in complete honesty, for the vast majority of my life I wore pessimism as a badge on my letter jacket of Christianity. After all, I had a verse, John 2:24-25, “But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” Yet, I confused unwarranted pessimism with biblical realism. As I grew in my understanding of God, His word, and His people I started to see that dire outlooks on the church and hopeless orientation to church members are Worm-like weapons. They slay faith, hope, and love – which are the very ingredients of optimism. And the very ingredients that Christians are to exemplify in their lives.

So what is a pastor do to if the great triumvirate of biblical optimism wanes? Preach God’s promises to your heart.

PREACHING OPTIMISM TO YOUR HEART

Preach the promises, particularly those promises that have unique relevance to pastoral ministry. Let me show you what I mean . . .

• “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Mic. 7:19). The pastor is called to have tangible maturity and palpable Christlikeness in order to be an example to the flock. Yet, it is easy to wilt under such truth. We feel as though we are the worst of sinners and often want to cry out with the blessed apostle, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” God will deliver through Jesus Christ. Micah 7:19 helps us be optimistic when holiness is lagging and godliness seems impossible for “He will tread our iniquities underfoot.”
• “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28). Faithful ministers will regularly tire, physically and spiritually. This exhaustion can be warranted and unwarranted. Warranted in the sense that the demands of pastoral ministry will regularly steal sleep. Unwarranted in the the sense of the unbiblical perfectionism many pastors are prone to place on themselves. Matthew 11:28 fuels optimism in seasons of exhaustion for rest is promised by Christ and found in Christ.
• “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). As I write this, there are only fifteen days left in 2013. Maybe this year has been one of great difficulty and you wonder, “How can the church ever rebound from this?” If that is the case, preach Matthew 16:18 to your soul and take refuge in the certainty of the church’s victory.
• “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). To live a godly life means persecution and suffering will come. I am convinced that God regularly purposes to afflict ministers to help them rely on His grace and not their power. Romans 8:28 might be the most overused and abused promise in Scripture, but that shouldn’t preclude the pastor from preaching it to His soul. In fact, this one should probably be preached at the end of every day as it is the quintessential fuel for optimism. All things will work together for your good.
• “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Cor. 15:58). It is all too easy to feel like pastoral ministry labor in vain. You might think, “No one has been converted; one of my elders just left the church; people delight to sleep through my sermons; members attend church insofar as it is convenient.” But 1 Corinthians 15:58 says our labor is not in vain for there is a prize coming on the other side of this life – resurrection glory.

I could go on and on, but I hope you get the idea. Preach the promises to your soul and you will bind they fuel biblical optimism in ministry. Also, spend time reflecting on the truth Trinity. Do you not see how the immutability of the Father’s decree, which in its turn depends upon His free and unchangeable love, the efficacious merit and intercession of Christ, and the abiding power of the Spirit’s indwelling of the saints ought to fuel faith, hope, and love?

I am convinced that if a pastor will arm himself with God’s promises and truth, he will be a man growing in biblical optimism. Which is little more than faith, hope, and love. And this triad of optimism ought to the very thing permeating our lives and ministry.