SO WHAT IS PROSPERITY?

Psalm 35:27 NKJV Let them shout for joy and be glad, Who favor my righteous cause; And let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”

I have good news today. God is pleased when we prosper.😊 But what does prosper mean in God’s eyes? I thought we’d have a look because it means more than we might think.

Strong’s Concordance (7965) for prosperity in this verse - Shalom: well, happy, healthy, prosperity, peace, friendly, complete, whole, welfare.

I hope that gladdens your heart because it did mine. It’s not God’s desire for us to be sick but He is pleased when we’re healthy and thriving, when we’re at peace when all is well and whole with a sense of welfare, when we thrive in every area of life, and that includes Him wanting our finances to prosper too. So we know it’s His will for us to have all of those.

Some people have thought God wants them poor or sick but it’s not what scripture says. Jesus spent a great part of His time healing and delivering people. We’re told it was God who blessed Abraham so much that he had tremendous riches! Paul writes that we have inherited the blessings of Abraham and I wonder if we’ve realised the implications of that? (Galations 3:13-14).

The world says if we have money and ‘things’ then we’re prosperous, but God says it’s far more than that because God takes pleasure when we thrive in every aspect of our lives. For instance it probably wouldn’t be much use to be a millionaire but not able to enjoy it because of illness!

God’s heart and His desire is for us to prosper and thrive in everything so we’re not only able to be blessed but to be a blessing to others, to bring glory to His name. 

So we need never wonder if it’s God’s will for us to be prosperous, or to be healthy and have more than enough, because He says it is, and if we’re struggling in any of those areas then we know we can go to Him with confidence knowing He’s willing and wants to put it right. That’s good news.😊 Amen.

SETBACKS OR SET UPS

Psalm 100:5 NIV For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Our circumstances may change from day to day, but thankfully our God does not. We need to always be reminding ourselves of that otherwise we might be tempted to listen to the enemy’s doubts and fears because of things that happen!

Sometimes we have what looks like setbacks but in God’s hands they become setups for Him to show up in a greater way in our lives. Joseph was a great example of constant setbacks in his life which seemed so unfair and would have messed most people up, but he remained faithful to God even when he was rejected by family, sold as a slave and later put in prison for something he didn’t do. The hardships and humiliation he must have endured can only be imagined but his God constantly showed him favour even in the worst of circumstances.

We read how the favour of God was on him and we read the same thing about us, that the favour of God is on us because of Jesus, even in our setbacks. It’s because God always has the last word if we keep our trust and focus on Him. When we say, “I don’t understand why these things have happened, but I trust you Lord”, we are opening ourselves up for Him to set us up for restoration and blessing.😊

So be encouraged today to know that when God is turning things around, which He has promised to do,  it’s always for our good, and we can rest in that truth whether it’s the middle of a dark night when we can’t sleep, or we’re in the thick of a difficult day.

God is a good God and He is faithful to us because He loves us beyond measure and nothing can change that wonderful truth. Thank You Lord. Amen.😊

Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash