Title: Let Me Prosper Now!
Contents
Psalm 118:25 Now prosper!
Today's text is a poem praising God as David ascended the throne of Judah after overcoming all enemies after being persecuted by his enemies for a long time. : David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse of the tribe of Judah. Then, at the age of 15, he was anointed king by the prophet Samuel. And at the age of 20, he defeated the Philistine general Goliath and became the commander of the Israeli army.
However, when King Saul became jealous of his growing reputation, he tried to kill him, but he ran away for about 10 years and suffered a lot. But whenever he was in trouble, God saved him, and when he turned 30, he ascended the throne of Judah. After ascending the throne, he went up to the temple and prayed in today's text. "Now let me prosper!"
As a result, God made David prosper, and he unified Israel at the age of 35 and the nation prospered. And by occupying a large territory and enjoying peace and tranquility, Israel has reached its greatest heyday. What if we today pray like David? "Now let me prosper!"
Regarding the word 'success', the English Bible records 'success'. Although David was anointed at the age of 15, he faced death threats, hunger, and cold before he became king. He even had to run away, drooling in front of the Philistines and pretending to be a madman in order to survive. At the age of 30, he becomes king of Judah, recalling moments of agony. "Ah- there were so many breathtaking moments!" Then, today's prayer comes naturally. "Lord, make me prosper now!"
As people go through their lives, there are people who prosper at first, then fail because of failure, and there are people who struggle at first and then prosper and prosper later. Of course, there are those who continue to prosper from beginning to end. However, in most cases like this, there are cases in which we distance ourselves from God or cannot form a character as a child of God. The Christian's successful life, then, would be better if he struggled at first and then prospered later.
1. Nehemiah
After the southern kingdom of Judah was destroyed, the people of Judah were living in captivity in the Persian Empire that succeeded Babylon. Nehemiah was also a Judahite and held an administrative position in the Persian Empire. He always feared God and prayed for God to prosper. “Lord, I beg you, give ear, and hear the prayers of your servants, and the prayers of those who rejoice in the reverence of your name, that your servant may prosper today, and find favor in the sight of this man.” At that time I became the king's cupbearer. ." (Nehemiah 1:11)
When Nehemiah prayed for success in this way, God allowed Nehemiah to find favor with the king of Persia. So he could become the king's trusted cupbearer, receive orders from the king to rebuild the devastated Jerusalem, get commanders and horsemen to escort him, and obtain many building materials to rebuild Jerusalem. It's truly a hell of a pain. Everything went smoothly, like gears meshing together. We, too, wish for all things to be successful, smooth, and fulfilled in this foreign land.
2. Eliezer
In Genesis 24, when Abraham was to get a wife for his son Isaac, he sent his servant Eliezer to his homeland. At that time, Eliezer, the servant of faith, prays like this. “O LORD, the God of my master Abraham, grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”
When he prayed like this, God made the servant do everything so that he could meet Rebekah, who would become the wife of his master's son, Isaac. So, Eliezer, a servant, confesses in front of Rebekah's family. “The Lord has given me a prosperous way; send me to return to my master” (Genesis 24:56).
Ladies and gentlemen, it is not easy for young men and women to meet their mates for a hundred years at a time. So some people see the line ten times more. There are a lot of old virgins and old bachelors in our church, but what the hell are they trying to do? However, old virgins and old bachelors who are still undecided, please pray to God like this. “Lord, please help me to meet my partner without difficulty, easily, smoothly, and prosperously!”
3. Joseph
In the Old Testament, when we talk about a prosperous person, we cannot leave out Joseph. The Bible says this about Joseph: "The LORD was with Joseph, and he prospered, and he was in the house of his master Egyptian" (Genesis 39:2) "And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and he saw that the LORD prospered in all things. "(Genesis 39:3)
Originally, a man named Joseph was not a prosperous man but a troubled man. At the age of 17, he was trafficked by other brothers and sold as a slave, and he was accused of being a rapist and served three years in prison. However, God led Joseph to prosper in the end even in such a difficult environment. This enabled him to become Egypt's prime minister and save the lives of millions of people from famine.
Dear brothers and sisters, did you have an incident that you think is inconvenient for you today? But the Bible testifies that if you love God, it will turn into prosperity. A man named Joseph was a poor man who was unlucky, but because he loved God, in the end, everything turned into prosperity. Today, I pray that the things that you think are inconvenient will turn into prosperity. And, more specifically, who will God prosper?
① (Psalm 122:6): Seek peace for Jerusalem, and those who love Jerusalem prosper. : Jerusalem is the place where God's temple is located. It is a place where worship and prayer are offered to God. In today's terms, it is the church (temple). In other words, if you love the church and love worship and prayer, you will prosper.
② (Deuteronomy 29:9) : Therefore, keep and do the words of this covenant, and everything you do will prosper. / (Joshua 1:7) : Keep and do all the laws that I have commanded you, and do not turn to the left or to the right. Then you will prosper wherever you go. : In other words, if you live according to the Word of God, you will prosper wherever you are (Korea or Canada).
③ (Psalm 1:3): He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; all its events will prosper. : In other words, if you do not follow the counsel of the wicked, do not stand in the way of sinners, and do not sit in the seat of the scornful, then you will prosper.
④ (Proverbs 28:13): He who hides his sins will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will have mercy on them. Let's take an example. When working with water in a restaurant kitchen, sometimes the water gets clogged and won't go down. In this case, you have to drill it. The blockage must be removed. Repentance is the act of clearing a blockage. If your life is blocked by misfortune, you must break through it through repentance for prosperity to come.
Even the wicked can sometimes prosper. But in the end, it's a pain in the ass. Later it will be ruined. The end is judgment. Therefore, as believers, we pray that you do not envy the prosperity of the wicked, but that you may achieve prosperity in this foreign land with the upright image that God has taught you. I pray that the end will come to a more prosperous end.