Prosperity

Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be. - Job 8:7

I am going to start by saying that I need to re-read Job. This verse comes from a speech Bildad, a friend of Job's gave him, as he was mourning the loss of his family and possessions. What I don't know for sure is whether this advice is part of the good advice he received, or if it ended up as the "well fine, why don't you just curse God and die" variety. But within the context of chapter 8, it seems fairly reasonable. Stay true to God, Bildad says, and God will restore you and then some.

I really love this verse. Your beginnings will seem humble. When I first read it I focused on the prosperous future, thinking yes! this is what I want! But you have to see how prosperous a future it will be.... your beginnings will seem humble. Not "your beginnings were humble so I will lift you above them," but rather "You were in a fine place at the beginning, but where I'm taking you is gonna leave that in the dust. It will be as though you were a pauper, and now you are the prince."

Um, yay. Please let it be so, Lord!!

I had a dream last night in which I applied for a job--I don't even know what job or what company--but I somehow had decided to just say what I felt and call it as I saw it, which really impressed the CEO (with whom I was inexplicably doing the interview). So then and there he created a job for me, a job where I would be able to do and say whatever I wanted, to keep him real, keep him grounded, make his meetings a little more fun, and in general shake up the company. The title he wanted to give me was "Chief Executive Shocker" (a little odd, but this was a dream). The salary was $135,000.

Can I just say I was a little disappointed when I woke up?

Even in the dream I had the thought of what I could do with that money in six months. It was a beautiful thought, giving me a feeling of security. Hooray, I wouldn't be living paycheck to paycheck, I could save money, do the things I want to do with my life... it was a beautiful feeling.

And I almost lost it completely when the alarm went off.

But then I found this verse, and I feel that God is speaking directly to me through this verse. I will make your beginnings seem humble, because of how much I will prosper you. Oh, let it be, Lord!!! And I know that "prosperous" doesn't mean crazy wealthy, because the wealth of God cannot be measured by the scales of man. But to be prosperous carries with it an inherent sense of peace, which means that I would feel wealthy even if my "riches" were not in currency.

And that follows along with an experience I had yesterday, at church. One of our associate pastors gave the message, and she talked about how at a conference, she had a complete change of heart about someone in her life... one day she wanted to sever the relationship, and the next day she couldn't wait to get back home to see this person. God had quite literally changed her heart.

This is something that I am praying for--that God would change my heart in some things. To help me break away from my past, to let go of all the "things" I have hoarded over the years, to be ready, willing, and able to step forward into a future towards which I believe He is calling me and which will be a complete change in lifestyle.

But if I read this verse correctly, it says that God will take care of me, and not even just "take care of me" but prosper me, revel in my successes, lift me up not for my glory but for His, to show that when we truly follow His plans for us, we will prosper even here on earth.

To repeat myself--Let it be, Lord, let it be!