The God Who Rejoices in My Prosperity

[Psalm 35:17-28]

What does "prosperity" mean? In Hebrew, "prosperity" is often expressed by the words sakal and tsarah. Sakal means to flourish and succeed. Tsarah means to make something prosperous and abundant. The word shalom is also frequently used, which means "safe," "flourishing," and "happy." This is where the term shalom (peace, wellness, happiness) comes from, and the Hebrews use it as a greeting. Therefore, prosperity includes not only the external and material aspects but also the internal, emotional, and spiritual dimensions of life (source: internet).

However, it seems that many Christians today associate "prosperity" with the idea that life should be free from hardship and adversity, simply everything going smoothly and perfectly. They seem to think that prosperity means flourishing and succeeding without any difficulties. But we should not aspire to this kind of "unbroken prosperity." I believe that the mindset of viewing "unbroken prosperity" as a blessing is incorrect. It seems that such prosperity does not exist in this world. I read a statement on a website: "God leads us to places with curves, rather than straight paths, to protect our souls. There is a deep purpose in this" (source: internet). This is true. Our lives often have many twists and turns, like riding a roller coaster at Disneyland. The surprising thing is that, just as children enjoy even a gentle roller coaster ride, we, too, need the twists and turns in life's journey in order to discover God's deep purpose, which brings us joy.

I would like to give two biblical examples of people who experienced these "twists." The first example is Joseph in the Old Testament, in the book of Genesis. Through Joseph, we learn the true biblical perspective on prosperity. The prosperity we learn from Joseph is not about everything going perfectly without suffering, but rather, that even amidst suffering and adversity, God's presence with us is the true prosperity (Genesis 39:2, 3, 23). True prosperity is not about whether we have suffering or not, nor about being rich or poor, but about God's presence with us, which ultimately brings about God's will. The second example is Paul in the New Testament, in Acts 16. On the Sabbath, Paul and Silas went "to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made" (Acts 16:13), and there they met Lydia. Eventually, she and her household believed in Jesus and were baptized (Acts 16:15). Then, as they were "going to the place of prayer" (Acts 16:16), a slave girl possessed by a spirit was healed, and after facing persecution, they ended up in prison, where they prayed (Acts 16:25). By the answer to their prayer and God's presence, the prison doors were opened, and the jailer and his entire household believed in God (Acts 16:34). Paul's life had many twists and turns, but ultimately, God's salvation plan was fulfilled, and the Philippian church was established. Through these two examples, I believe that prosperity is when God's will is accomplished in our lives.

In today's passage, Psalm 35:27, the Bible says, "Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, 'Let the Lord be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.'" Based on this verse, I would like to reflect on how God prospers us under the title "The God Who Rejoices in My Prosperity" and receive grace by considering two stages in which God prospers us.

The first stage in how God prospers us is the "waiting stage."

Psalm 35:17

"Lord, how long will You look on? Rescue me from their destructions, my precious life from the lions."

David, the psalmist, is in deep distress because of his enemies, and he cries out to the Lord, "Lord, how long will You look on?" This is a plea from the heart, asking why God seems to be silent and distant in the midst of suffering. Similarly, when our suffering becomes prolonged, we often feel that our patience has reached its limits, and we too ask, "How long will I have to endure this?" In these moments of lament, we, like David, might turn to God and ask why He seems to be only observing from a distance.

David, in Psalm 13:1-2, had previously expressed a similar frustration:
"How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?"

The repeated question "How long?" is a prayer of lament, where David, in the midst of pain, questions why God seems to be watching silently and not intervening. This "waiting stage" could also be referred to as a "silent stage." We see this again in Psalm 35:22:
"Lord, You have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, O Lord."

David knew that God had seen his suffering, but he struggled to understand why God was silent and seemingly distant. Yet, despite his confusion, he continues to plead for God’s intervention.

Why does it seem that God remains silent while we suffer?
The answer is that it is for our spiritual benefit (as noted by Pastor Park Yun-Seon). In other words, God's silence during our suffering is designed for our spiritual growth. But what is this spiritual benefit? It is none other than the training of our prayer life and the development of patience and endurance (Pastor Park Yun-Seon).

When we are in pain, God's silence encourages us to pray more earnestly, thus deepening our trust and reliance on Him (Psalm 28:1, 7). As Isaiah 30:15 tells us,
"...in quietness and trust shall be your strength..."

When God is silent, we must learn to trust Him quietly and rely on His will. This is why we must continue to plead with God, seeking His intervention in our lives.

What were David's prayer requests in today's passage from Psalm 35? In verses 19-21, we see David’s plea:
"Let not those who are my enemies wrongfully rejoice over me; neither let them wink with the eye who hate me without cause. For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful matters against those who are quiet in the land. They also opened their mouth wide against me and said, 'Aha, aha! Our eyes have seen it.'"

David's prayer was that his enemies would not take joy in his suffering, especially in the apparent silence of God’s help. He asked that they would not mock him or rejoice as they saw him in pain.

Another spiritual benefit of suffering is that it teaches us patience, which in turn leads to refinement — meaning that our character is shaped to be more like Jesus. Through suffering, we are molded and transformed. Psalm 119:71 beautifully expresses this truth:
"It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes."

Through hardship, we learn God's commands and grow in obedience to them, which in turn refines our character to resemble Christ more and more.

In the article titled "The Silent God" by Song Won-jun, he talks about silence in this way:

"God can remain silent. God remained silent for forty years while Moses was living in the wilderness of Midian after being drawn out of the palace of Egypt. God remained silent after anointing 17-year-old David as king, until he ascended the throne. God remained silent in response to Paul’s tearful prayer, asking for healing from his thorn in the flesh, a painful condition. Ultimately, God answered, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ And God remained silent in response to the earnest prayer of a human on the cross, saying, ‘Let this cup pass from Me.’ … Henri Nouwen declared that the absence of God is the same as the active presence of God. … The psalmist did not understand this, and therefore the silent God seemed cruel at that moment. However, God is working diligently in the silence! God is refining my heart in silence. … God, in silence, leads me to pray” (Internet).

After reading this article, I personally decided that I need to be more passive. In other words, I made a new determination to be more like Mary, the passive one, rather than Martha, who is more active. This is because I believe that when I am passive, God works more actively and powerfully. I now have faith that, as I rely more on God, I can quietly pray and wait, expecting even greater active work from Him.

The second stage in God’s way of bringing us to prosperity is the "shaking and awakening stage."

Look at Psalm 35:23:
"Awake, O Lord, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord."

Even though "the God who delights in my prosperity" (v. 22) sees David’s distress and remains silent, David prays for God to "shake and awake" and bring judgment (v. 23). The phrase "shake" means to "stir up courage," and "awake" means "to rise from a seemingly sleeping state to bring judgment" (Park Yun-seon).

Is God really asleep? Does God need to wake up? In Psalm 121:3-4, it says:
"... He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."

David knew that God does not sleep, but in his distress, he still prayed for God to rise and judge his enemies with justice. David did not want his enemies to rejoice over his downfall or think they had succeeded without God’s intervention (vv. 24-25). Furthermore, David prayed for his enemies to fail, saying:
"Let those who rejoice at my ruin be ashamed and dismayed; let those who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace." (v. 26).

David also prayed for his fellow believers to be able to praise God:
"Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad; let them always say, 'The Lord be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.'" (v. 27).

This request was made possible through God’s response, which gave David victory over his enemies. As a result, David could praise God together with those who regarded him as righteous, those who rejoiced in the justice of God and His victory over his adversaries.

The Lord, who leads us to places with curves rather than straight paths, reveals His deep purpose in those places. Why does the “God who delights in my prosperity” seem to simply watch our suffering without intervening? Do we, with eyes of faith, see that in His apparent absence, He is actively and diligently working in silence? Are we being trained in prayer by trusting in God quietly? Are we enjoying the blessing of training in patience and the molding of our character? Ultimately, God will rise and judge with justice, causing our enemies to fail and perish. Therefore, He will make us give thanks and praise to Him: "I will give thanks to You in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people" (v. 18).

With a heart desiring to experience the active work of the "God who delights in my prosperity" through a passive prayer posture,

Pastor James
(While being formed as a worshiper who praises God at the end of life's curves)