Accepting Prosperity And Adversity

-February 11, 2022-

Good morning, happy Friday,

“Then his wife said to him, ‘Do you hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ But he said to her, ‘You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?’ In this Job did not sin with his lips.”

(Job 2:9-10).

Life is filled with both prosperity and adversity. God knows how much we need. On the prosperity side, we have our share of successes, victories, and blessings; on the adversity side, we also experience losses, defeats, failures, and mistakes. Given our choice we would eliminate all adversity. The problem is: our faith wouldn’t grow and we wouldn’t rely on God. The truth of the matter is: it is actually harder in times of of prosperity than adversity. When things are going well we start thinking we deserve God’s blessings and take God and His goodness for granted.

Up to this time in Job’s life, he experienced God’s goodness and blessings to a great degree. All of the sudden a series of severe and difficult trials struck him. From the loss of his children, servants, livestock, and most of all his health. Even his wife turned against him, as did his friends. All that he had left was was God, and he found God to be all he needed.

The Bible is full of examples of men and women who had very difficult trials and also very great blessings. Paul so poignantly wrote to the Philippians, “I know how to be abased, and how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need” (Philippians 4:12). What really helped Paul was that he learned to be content in whatever state he found himself in. He accepted the good and the bad, the positive and negative, the ups and the downs. He took everything as from the hand of God.

How about you? How do you deal with adversity? How do you do in prosperity? We have seen examples of our American athletes at the Winter Olympics. For some there has been the thrill of victory, but for others the agony of defeat. Only one team can win the Super Bowl this Sunday. It will be the highest of highs for the winners, and the lowest of lows for the losers.

Adversity draws us to God, humbles us, and helps to depend on God not ourselves. It also causes to appreciate what the Lord has done for us. Prosperity often causes the opposite: pride, self-reliance, and laxness. We should thank God for both and surrender fully to His will in our lives. He will never give us more than we can handle, nor allow too much prosperity. He knows just the right balance, the perfect combination for our growth and development in Christ.

Have a blessed day of both prosperity and adversity with a joyful and thankful spirit. Stay safe and healthy.

In His sufficient grace,

Dean