I've been thinking a lot lately about the prosperity gospel, that is so widely accepted here in the US… I've noticed recently how sneaky and subtle it can be. A lot of it comes down to not allowing the Lord to satisfy you, I think.
But I had a small revelation about the idea as a whole the other day. I think if we look at the story of the prodigal son we can understand the real problem with the prosperity gospel.
The prodigal son demanded his inheritance NOW; he knew that his father had good things for him, but he wanted those things on his time schedule, and he demanded that he be given his inheritance immediately. The father gave him what he asked, knowing that his son would only grow distant from him after taking his inheritance. {Oh, the love and grace of the Father.}
How often do we do this…? Not even just with material things, but with the other things that the Lord has given us. How often do we demand healing, peace, or "a word," from the Lord? Not that these are bad things to seek, but when we start seeking them more than we seek God himself, or desire them more than we desire Him, we find ourselves in the position of the entitled stubborn child stomping our foot at our father. Abba wants to give us good things, but He also knows the details more than we do. He sees everything and He knows everything. We don't.
The greatest part about the prodigal son story is that the Father is waiting to welcome the son home. Abba is ever patiently waiting for us to humble ourselves and return to His open arms.
Praise Him.
