the call to prosper

There is a profound interest lately in the idea that God has in mind to “prosper” his people. I’ve encountered this idea myself in a number of books I’ve read and (more often) skimmed. Walk into any Christian bookstore and you’ll be confronted with a number of popular writers expounding on all the reasons and all the ways in which God wants to “enlarge your territory” or “increase your influence” or “enrich your life” with blessings.

Few of these authors will pointedly say that God wants to make you rich or attractive or popular, but it’s hard to read such material and not walk away with the impression that this is just what they’re saying—between the lines.

This troubles me, not because God doesn’t promise to prosper his people, but because I suspect he means something very different by “prosper” than we take him to mean. God’s idea of victory or success or even strength does not match man’s. Consider what God told Samuel when he was about anoint David as king: “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart,” (1 Samuel 16:7). God said this as David’s stronger, older, more qualified brothers paraded before Samuel. But God’s idea of strength and character does not match ours.

When God promises to prosper us, how are we to know that experiences of suffering, loss, pain, perseverance, trial and persecution are not the very means by which God intends to bless? As countless victims of persecution have attested throughout the centuries, such experiences tend to draw us closer to God. Wealth, popularity, beauty and fame, on the other hand, tend to create a barrier between man and God. It would seem, oddly, that the harder life is the more blessed one.

But that doesn’t match our American picture of success. We want to be able to point to a new car, a nice home, a successful career, an attractive spouse, a hefty bank account or a wide circle of admirers and offer these as clear signs of God’s approval. They are not.

I’m not saying that a person who’s life is marked by one or more of these comforts isn’t favored by God. I’m just saying that God’s twin promises to provide and bless may not look like our picture of provision or blessing.

If that’s true, maybe our time and effort would be better spent chasing God instead of chasing the supposed “signs of his favor”. Maybe true blessing is found in finding him. And maybe all that other stuff matters less and less the more of him you find.

Just a thought.