Genesis 39:20-23
There are so many promises that God has for us; I wonder if anyone has ever counted them all. One of my favorites is in Deuteronomy telling usthat you may prosper in all that you do. Another is in the first Psalm telling us that whatever we do will prosper. That sounds pretty good, yeah? But why then do some things that I attempt just fall flat? Are we missing something?
As is almost always the case when we take just a small part of scripture, we miss exactly what God is really trying to tell us. Then we are angry with God for not being faithful to His promise. As if we have any right at all to be angry to God or to hold Him accountable. Let's look at the full passages to see what He really is trying to tell us?
As is almost always the case when we take just a small part of scripture, we miss exactly what God is really trying to tell us. Then we are angry with God for not being faithful to His promise. As if we have any right at all to be angry to God or to hold Him accountable. Let's look at the full passages to see what He really is trying to tell us?
Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-- whatever they do prospers. Isaiah 53:10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. Deuteronomy 30:8-10 You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today. Then the LORD your God will make you most prosperous in all the work of your hands and in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your land. The LORD will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the LORD your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 1 Kings 2:2-3 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go. Genesis 39:20-23 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did. | David, a man after God's own heart and the anointed king of Isreal, gives us clues about God operates. The person who prospers in everything they do is the person who meditates on Scripture day and night. Isaiah tells us that the LORD prospers our works when they line up with the will of God. The Lord made the Israelites the most prosperous nation in the world because they obeyed God. Keeping His commands and decrees results in blessings. From his deathbed David tells his son Solomon that by following the Law of Moses God prospers everything we do. Even in the most difficult and hopeless situations God is powerful enough to prosper us, to make us successful and to have the favor of God and men. |
What does all of that tell us? God loves you and He wants to prosper you. In order for God to do that we must be His kids. If you aren't in your Bible then you cannot find Gods will, heart or hand. Without that relationship, God will simply stand back and let whatever will happen happen. I don't know about you but I would much rather have His blessing, favor and direction. Therefore, as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.