I have been young, and now am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
or his children begging for bread.
He is ever lending generously,
and his children become a blessing.
- Proverbs 37:25-26
These sayings speak into the depths of my soul as a husband and father. If you live a long life you’ll see a lot of things. In my 35 short years I’ve seen:
a man walking a rabbit on a leash
a marriage last less than a year
two people walking a kayak through the Public Garden
Donald Trump become POTUS
But these verses remind me that one thing I won’t see is God fail to provide for a righteous man’s children. In fact, where you find a righteous man expect to see him lending and giving generously. Even his children are a blessing to this world because he has raised sons and daughters who are respectful, responsible, and fun to be with. They care about this world and the people God has put in it, are good citizens, and will be great spouses.
It’s easy to fear that righteous living won’t lead to a prosperous life, but true prosperity is not having more than everyone else, it’s having more than enough. These verses paint a picture of prosperity as: long life, God answering prayer, plenty of food to eat, enough money to lend and give to others, and awesome kids. If we listened more to the Bible and less to the TV many of us would realize that we are quite prosperous already and much of our fear would dissipate.
[Thank you for reading! If you are looking for a church in Boston or churches in Boston please consider giving Renewal Church a try!]