MORE THAN PROSPERITY
|
An initial reading of many of the Psalms could lead the reader to a kind of prosperity gospel—the belief that if we follow God closely enough or trust Him truly enough, we will receive blessings, protection, and trouble-free lives. But such a reading falls down on two counts. First, there are also many psalms that cry out for God’s rescue amid despair, suffering, and trouble, and that express protest at the apparent unfairness of life and its blessings.
Second, life itself. Experiences in our lives and the lives of those around us demonstrate that blessings are not reserved only for the faithful.
Similarly, safety and prosperity are not assured for those who follow and trust God, nor is trouble the lot only of the unbeliever or evildoer.
God’s faithfulness and blessings are not so much about protecting us from troubles but about keeping us and upholding us amid difficult times and circumstances.
The promise of the Psalms—among other portions of the Bible—is that God is with us even when it does not look or feel like it. Rather than a result of circumstantial prosperity and blessings, the choice to follow and trust Him in all the happenings of our lives is reflected and realized in a different quality of life. In a world filled with bad news, whether in the headlines or in our personal experiences, we need not be afraid. Our circumstances are not the measure of God’s protection nor of our faithfulness. Instead, trusting in God offers us a steadfastness that is unshakeable and unthreatened by whatever might be going on around us or even within us. In Him, we have an eternal perspective and a present purpose.
The bad news might still matter because suffering and injustice matter, but we are not overwhelmed, and we are not afraid.
