“…and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Psalms 1:3
Dear Ones:
There is a difference between “prosperity” and “prospering.” The Lord Jesus laid aside His glory, the “prosperity of heaven,” humbled Himself, to become a servant. Did He have great “prosperity” from a world’s standpoint? No. Was He prosperous in that which the Father committed into His hands to accomplish? Yes. Scripture tells us that, “He shall not fail nor be discouraged.” (Is. 42:4) And we see Him on the cross declaring, “It is finished.” Here was the Father’s only begotten Son, the servant of God, accomplishing in an unfailing way, the supreme objective of providing us a perfect salvation. He “prospered” perfectly, and His prosperity was eternal, ever-lasting.
Why is it important to deal with this subject? It is because we are apt to be confused by the difference between prosperity and prospering, though there is some very real over-lap of the two matters. Abraham was a man of great prosperity, for the Lord provided such for him; likewise, Job was a man of great material enrichment. However, when we look at the prophets, and some of the great believers throughout Scripture, we find that they were not endowed with great possessions. Some lived by very simple, sometimes meager means. Regardless of great or lesser prosperity, that which can be said of Christ our example, is that we are called to believe God to PROSPER us in our endeavors, our living, and serving of God for His glory.
One of the great examples of this, regardless of circumstances and “material means,” is Joseph. Here is a man who is taken away from his family, sold as a slave, sent to a foreign country, to serve an unbelieving master. Joseph, as a slave, had no rights, and very few meager possessions (…if any), in the house of his Egyptian master. And yet, he “…was a prosperous man.” (Gen. 39:2) Why? Because, “The Lord was with Joseph…and made all that he DID to prosper in his hand.” (v. 1, 3) Joseph’s circumstances changed drastically when he was put into prison for a crime he did not commit, the result of a lie told about him. Again, the prosperity of Joseph is almost non-existent, but the “…the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (Gen. 39:21) It is in this circumstance that we see something of the difference between “prosperity” and “prospering.” Responsibility was given to Joseph to oversee the prisoners as a faithful servant. Scripture then tells us that, “The Lord was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper.” (39:23) It becomes clear by this narrative that “prosperity” deals with possessions and wealth. The man who “prospers” is that one who is met, and blessed by God, to accomplish and realize the will of God. He is like his Lord in that God blesses him, and he succeeds according to that blessing, irrespective of the circumstances.
God gave to Joshua a commandment and promise concerning being prosperous. The commandment was that he was to meditate in the word of God day and night, in order to obey what God had revealed in it. The promise was: “…THEN you will make your way PROSPEROUS, and then you will have good SUCCESS.” (Joshua 1:8)
The Lord, through the Psalmist, in describing the godly man, declares: “…his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” (Ps. 1:2) One of the results of such a life of faith, prayer, and obedience, is the declaration of the promise: “…and whatsoever he does shall prosper.” (Ps. 1:3) The presence and promise of God to Joshua, and to the Psalmist, is that which Joseph proved. WE are called to prove that it is God who will prosper us in the way in which He will have us to go. He may bless us with many blessings and prosperity. But the intervention of God in the life to prosper us in the way in which HE would have us go, is of infinitely more worth than that which is passing away.
Dear Father, we would open our mouths wide to receive every good and perfect gift, that which is intrinsically “good” from Thy hand. However, grant us above all to prosper in the way in which You have called us to walk, succeeding by the grace of God in that which is Your will for our lives. We praise and thank Thee that You are with us, and will make our way prosperous, as we seek to love and serve Thee according to Thy word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad