The Health and Prosperity Teaching
There are people who believe and teach that God wants everyone to be healthy and wealthy all the time. Universally. I mean - they believe it for everyone of God's followers.
I'm one of them.
If that sounds crazy and completely contrary to everything I've ever said and taught before, that's because it is. But to my defense I must clarify. I didn't say that God always does it. I just said that He wants it.
Wants it in the sense that He desperately loves each one of His children. Wants it in the sense that He wants what every doting father wants when He looks deep into their eyes. Wants it in the sense that this loving Creator has beautifully shaped each of His creations. Took His time thinking about their attributes, their talents, their gifts, their uniquenesses. And smiled and grinned as He formed them together. Thinking the whole time what a great combination this was going to make. Calling over the rest of the Trinity to smile and grin with Him as He put the finishing touches together so that they could all join in the celebration of new life as each one of His creations was shaped and formed. Can you see them all grinning and slapping each other on the back and laughing and saying how great that little touch adds just the right thing? I can.
How could God not want each of His creations to be fully all that they could be?! Healthy and wealthy. Full of vigor and displaying all the beautiful range of talents and gifts and beauty that He had designed for them.
He certainly did for the Israelites. I keep reading about them in Deuteronomy and seeing a God who's fallen head over heels for this crazy group of people. He keeps trying to get them to follow after Him and His ways so that He can bless them. Bless their sandals off! Keeps trying to bless them and their give them long lives. Literally.
"Keep His decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time."
"Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you...."
"Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear Me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"
"Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days...."
And on and on it goes....
I can't guarantee my healing to be healthy forever. Eventually the plan is for my body to die. It's really for the best. This body was only designed to last for a while and then I've been promised a much nicer model. Much improved and longer lasting. Wait till you see it. You'll really like it.
In the meantime, I'm praying for healing. Miraculous healing. Cancer-be-gone kind of healing. I believe that God wants me to be healthy and happy too. But I also know that He has higher plans and bigger plans than my mind or imagination can fathom. And I trust that no matter what those plans are (and they could include literally anything) I can trust Him with them. To do the very best. The thing that honors His name and glorifies Him the greatest.
And that's what I want my whole life to be about! God and God's glory!
(But I keep thinking about how He wants to bless those Israelites with long prosperous lives...)
Dwayne's Journey
Life is an adventure, a journey we travel. And God walks it with us - hand in hand if we let Him. Guiding, shaping, and molding us through the circumstances. I seek to journey more intentionally here.
5 Comments:
Hi Dwayne,
You have shared some beautiful thoughts today.Thank you.
For the past year and 1/2 I had increasing back problems...prayer was constantly in out hearts and on our lips as I got progressively worse...til my husband was pushing me in a wheelchair. The pain was horrendous...In March I had 9-hr back surgery. Having a heart condition and being a diabetic for 42 years was not in my favour. God's mercy is so undeserving and His faithfulness beyond our comprehension. It is 3 months since my surgery and my recovery is well underway. I still am amazed that God should choose to spare my life...it is a miracle, and I give Him the praise and the glory. I could be dancing in heaven, but I am here walking this earth and pray God's purpose be fulfilled in my life.
May God be near you one step at a time, giving you grace for each day.
You are in our prayers as I was in the thoughts and prayers of people across Canada for so many months.
I read your entry yesterday and I cried. I believe God wants to heal you and I continually pray for that. But the pain and discouragement that is happening to you really breaks my heart. After I read yesterday, I ran upstairs and grabbed my 4 year old daughter's hand and said "let's go pray." It's amazing, when I am serious about praying, how well behaved she is. Just listening, observing, and respecting this need for intercession. You are challenging me to live in more constant communion with our God as I cry out to Him for your healing and relief from discomfort, even asking God to relieve you somewhat by giving some of the pain to me. My daughter is learning about real relationship with God, and I am learning to cry out to Him with my whole being as I plead to Daddy Father for all I'm worth. I asked my girl the other day if she wanted pastor Dwayne to be healed. She nodded. I told her about the verse in the Bible that says where 2 or more agree on anything in the Father's name it shall be done. We prayed together, agreeing, for your healing. May it come soon and may God be glorified, as He is through your ministry of blogging!
Much love and prayers,
Donna T.
God is using you -- He is going to turn this ugly cancer into something beautiful. He promises that His plans are for good and not for evil -- for a hope and a future. He can even use the cancer and turn it into a life giving source and not what satan wants and that is a life taking source. God is bigger than cancer --
You dont know as we have never met -- I work with someone who knows you and who cares about you and your family very much -- She asked me to pray for you and your family and that I will. I have been reading but not commenting but today I felt stirred in my spirit to tell you to never give up and to encourage you to start looking at this through the Lord's eyes (I know not an easy task) -- He loves you Dwayne so very much and I pray that He will love up on you today as only He can.
Thank you for writing and being transparent -- Thank you for allowing others to share your journey - I know that you have touched many hearts -- you have touched mine -- May the Lord use what satan meant for evil --- for His glory.
Blessings ~ ~ ~ Shelley
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