" ... My Prosperity Has Vanished Like a Cloud."

This is Part 6 of a 12-Part Series on Grief, Trauma, and Mental Health

Disclaimer: I have no training or background in the field of mental health. The thoughts expressed in this series should, in no way, be taken as professional mental health advice or a substitute for it; they are merely observations and insights that I have gleaned from reading, studying, and praying about these passages in scripture.

According to Britannica, prosperity theology is:

"the teaching that faith - expressed through positive thoughts, positive declarations, and donations to the church [usually specified as tithing, and, I would add, generosity to others] - draws health, wealth, and happiness into believers' lives."

Prosperity theology is where the "name it and claim it" and "tither's rights" concepts come from. Prosperity theologists are the preachers, teachers, and followers, who, when speaking of Job, are likely to skip over the 39 chapters in between and walk away from the book of Job by summarizing with nothing more than, "God gives 'double for your trouble'". If God is just and "we reap what we sow", then we get what we deserve. If God blesses those who follow Him and live righteously, then if we follow Him and live righteously, we will be blessed (and our obvious conclusion is that "blessing" equals health and wealth).

Unfortunately, however, it doesn't take long to come to the next conclusion: If God is just and "we reap what we sow", then if something "bad" happens (we receive a bad diagnosis, someone we love passes away, or we lose a job, income, etc.), then, obviously, we must have done something wrong.

One of the by-products of adhering so closely to the principles of prosperity theology is that if health and wealth are evidence of right living, it would lead one to conclude that anyone who has worldly success has obviously been "blessed" by God. ... Which leads to the next unfortunate and inaccurate conclusion: that anyone who is poor or facing hardships of some kind has, in some way, done something to "deserve" it.

Is God just? Yes. Does God "reward those who earnestly seek Him"? Yes. Does God allow consequences (either natural or supernatural) for sin? Yes.

The problem with prosperity theology is not that the principles are not true ... the problem with prosperity theology is that the principles are only half truth. Because it is also equally and simultaneously true that God, in His Sovereignty, sometimes allows things that are unjust, unfair, and which we don't deserve.

And that can be hard to grapple with at times.

In the 39 chapters in between, Job and his friends wrestle with these principles. Job's friends have earned such a bad reputation within the church for the things they say to Job, but the truth is, what they are saying isn't too far off from what we frequently hear in the Christian community today, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

I think, whether we want to admit it or not, there is a tendency for those who have health and wealth to hold to the belief that they deserve it - that they worked hard, made "healthy choices", or did the morally right things to somehow earn it. Certainly, hard work, wise choices, and strong moral standards are contributing factors, but they frequently fail to recognize or acknowledge all of the things that silently helped them along the way, whether that was genetics, privileges they may have had and were possibly even unaware of, or the supernatural intervention of God through chance encounters, opened doors, or supernatural provision or protection.

One of the things that set Job apart was that Job never failed to acknowledge that he had advantages (both spiritual and cultural) that contributed to his success, as well as the fact that he had cultural advantages because of it. In other words, he may have worked hard and with integrity, but he didn't get there on his own (Job 21:16), and once he had health and wealth, he was afforded privileges that gave him an on-going advantage over others. ... He also never failed to acknowledge that he could lose all of it at any moment, and that he couldn't take any of it with him when he died.

The reason no one likes to talk about Job (or preach about it in church) is because, deep down, we all want to believe that we are in control - or at least that we have some degree of control over our lives. We want to believe that if we do all of the "right" things, we can accomplish anything we want to. ... Whether that's doing the "right" things by worldly standards: having a "vision board", working hard and striving, and having a positive outlook and positive self-image; or whether that's doing the "right" things spiritually: acknowledging and following God, praying for the things we want, working hard, living with character, integrity, and generosity, and having faith and believing. But Job contradicts that belief; Job did all of the "right" things, whether by worldly standards or spiritual ones, and yet, he lost pretty much everything, and suffered tremendous heartbreak, suffering, and loss in spite of it.

At one point, Job's friends then seem to temporarily switch gears and entertain the opposite argument - that health and wealth must equal "wickedness". They have a back and forth exchange about the fact that many of those who have health and wealth have come by it dishonestly or without integrity; people who may have been greedy, materialistic, or may have engaged in unfair or dishonest business practices. So they assume Job must have come by his wealth dishonestly, and that is why God allowed such suffering and loss into his life.

They argue in Job 22:6-9 :

" ... you must have lent money to your friend and demanded clothing as security. Yes, you stripped him to the bone.

You must have refused water for the thirsty and food for the hungry.

You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!

You must have sent widows away empty-handed and crushed the hopes of orphans."

But that point of view doesn't hold up either, because Job had done the exact opposite of what is described here, and according to God, Job had maintained his character and integrity whether rich or poor, sick or healthy ... and God thought the world of him! In fact, Job was singled out to endure these hardships because of his integrity and righteousness!

The conclusion we can safely come to is that, while God is just and God does reward and bless those who acknowledge and follow Him, ultimately, health and wealth, or worldly success, is not a good "litmus test" for right living. It is not a good measure of a person's character, integrity, faith, or behavior. And, as we can see from the book of Job, it is definitely not a good measure of someone's standing with God.

© I Lift My Voice, 2023

Click Here to Read Part 7 in This 12-Part Series on Grief, Trauma, and Mental Health