They sowed fields and planted vineyards that yielded a fruitful harvest; he blessed them and their numbers greatly increased, and he did not let their herds diminish. Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, calamity and sorrow (Psalm 107:37-39).
There is no cause-effect relationship between worldly prosperity and obedience. God sometimes uses the obedience of his people to further his purposes, but that is simply because he knows who can handle the gifts and who has opportunity to use the gifts God gives him. Look at the Bible heroes – for every Abraham, there is a Jeremiah. For every Daniel, a John the Baptist. For every Laodicea, a Smyrna. The “name it claim its” are way off base (are you listening Joel Osteen and Robert Schuller?). What would happen if God blessed materially every Christian. We would call it America of five years ago. That is why we are the Laodicean church – neither hot nor cold and the Lord spews us out of his mouth. I am convinced the days of largess prosperity in America are mostly over.
God chooses the withdrawal of material blessings sometimes to bring his children closer to himself. Psalm 107 and others indicate the righteous suffer calamity as much as the pagans. We can’t take it with us anyway. I am incredibly thankful for God’s blessings that come regardless of what is happening with my checkbook. When we have a lot, I pray we can give a lot. When we have a little, I pray we can still serve a lot. Either way, I pray we can be content a lot (Phil 4:12)
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