“When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.” (Psalm 27:2-3, ESV)
After thirty-some years, I still remember the most negative person I ever met. There was not a single ounce of positivity in her. It was as if her light had gone out.
Negativity is one of those internal enemies that drains your energy and undermines your well-being. We tend to think the solution is to think positively, but is that really the answer?
I wondered whether David was doing some positive thinking when I read today’s Scripture. It seemed that as soon as he described what he was up against, he reassured himself in the next breath:
· The opposition will stumble and fall.
· My heart shall not fear.
· I will be confident.
Sounds like positive talk, but it isn’t.
David’s words reflect his confidence in God, not his ability to think his way out of his circumstances. He places his hope in God’s character and protective power, not in self-generated optimism or mental conditioning.
Job found the same hope amid devastating loss, and his story shows how God reshapes a person’s outlook.
It’s believed that Job lived during Moses’ time. The Old Testament describes Job as a godly man who had everything, then lost it all, including his children and his health. People thought he was cursed and abandoned him. His friends offered little comfort, believing he had brought his problems on himself through sin. Even his wife told him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9, ESV).
At one of his lowest points, Job wished he had never been born (Job 3). He couldn’t understand why God would allow evil to befall a righteous man (Job 31).
As the book draws to a close, God appears to Job (Job 38:1, 42:5). This direct encounter with God transforms Job from a self-righteous man into a humble, repentant one. Job recognizes his error in questioning God’s wisdom and justice:
“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2, ESV).
Job’s entire outlook on suffering and on God’s providence changes. He finds peace not because God explains everything about his situation, but because God reveals who God is.
God’s perspective doesn’t just help us become positive thinkers. It transforms us into people who can weather any storm with confidence because our hope rests in an all-knowing, all-powerful, merciful, loving God. Knowing God gives us confidence, and it's that confidence, not our happy thoughts, that carries us through the toughest, darkest days of our lives.
When negativity rises, pause and ask God for His perspective instead of your own.
Closing Prayer: Lord, reshape my outlook. Teach me to trust Your strength, not my thoughts, and give me confidence rooted in who You are.
