God gave him what he asked.

1Chronicles 4:10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel: “Bless me, O bless me! Give me land, large tracts of land. And provide your personal protection—don’t let evil hurt me.” God gave him what he asked.

All right, I couldn’t resist stopping and commenting on the Prayer of Jabez. I know someone’s written a book on it – how you, too, can pray for a big estate and a fancy car, and God will provide! It’s the same idea as the Secret – the law of attraction, which says if you think about a BMW you’ll attract a BMW – but better not let in any thoughts about a VW bug! (Worse, maybe you’ll attract it when you’re crossing the street!) And there are other versions of what I would call a Gospel of Prosperity. There’s nothing wrong with prosperity; in fact, it is a great blessing all who enjoy it need to be thankful for. The principles behind these ideas are true – but this take on what the Gospel, prayer, God are all about is just 100% wrong. In the same way that some Pharisees of Jesus’ time took the Law of Moses and made it into a measuring stick to beat others up with and ensure they came out on top, this use of spirit, while accurate, completely misses the point.

The abundance that Jesus talks about is a spiritual abundance. It’s not about having more stuff; it’s about having faith in the face of disaster, knowing that somehow God will see you through. Jesus spoke of being in the world but not of it. Using these spiritual principles purely for material gain is adopting the world’s values of materialism and wealth as your own; it is trusting in stuff that is not God. There’s a reason Jesus said it was hard to impossible for a rich person to enter heaven; I believe it’s because when you’re rich, it’s really hard not to think that your riches are the source of your security, instead of God. Then they become the center of your life. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be, too. Jesus calls us to seek spiritual treasure, so that we can face changes of fortune with equanimity, resting in the Presence of the One Unchangeable Immoveable Eternal Dynamic in all creation: God.

Prayer: Dear God, You have blessed me with prosperity; let it not be a stumbling block in my journey to You. Let me be grateful for your bounty, yet ever mindful that the only Source of true prosperity lies in You. Amen.