I was taking my usual evening stroll-walk with My Philip this week. Well, he walks and I mostly lollygag while I spew out all my grand ideas and daydreams… ha! This time we were talking about being specific when we pray about God blessing us in the area of prosperity. Wait… what? Yes, I said it. I know, I know… it made me feel uncomfortable too, once upon a time. I used to shy away from that because I grew up around comments like, “Oh, there goes that prosperity preacher again.” And although I know the prosperity topic is sometimes taboo, I do believe it’s a real thing we should pray about AND be expectant for.
The bible is full of promise and hope. One of those promises is that HE wants us to be fruitful. He wants us to prosper in the plans He has laid out for us. As parents, what are some things we want for our children? It may vary a little from family to family but there's an overarching commonality. We want them to prosper in their relationships and in life overall, right? Well, how much more do you think our Father wants those things for us?
Take a look:
Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Jeremiah 29:11
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
My prayer regarding a prosperous life has changed. I am praying boldly now for God to open up the heavens. I am not timid anymore. I am not tiptoeing around with a lucky charm in hand hoping He will lend an ear. Instead, without reservation, I am praying for Him to prosper us as a family in all areas EVEN our finances— Let everything we touch prosper! Why not? Don’t we need more kingdom people in the earth to be prosperous to help make a difference in the lives of others, and more importantly, to make a difference in this dark world?
So let’s not shy away from coming boldly before a God who is love. A God who wants good things for His children, even more so than we as earthly parents, want good things for our children. Prosperity is not a bad word friend, but a promise for us that is attainable through Him and His goodness. His goodness. Sigh. I just can't get passed it.