Prosperity is more than having a lot of money. It is succeeding in what you do, and enjoying the fruit of your labors.
In Isaiah’s final stanza of his Song of the Suffering Servant, he mentions three things the Messiah will enjoy as a result of His labor. In Isaiah 53:10 he says, “…He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.” Now it’s this third one that has caught my attention today – He will know prosperity by experiencing the pleasure of the Lord.
The word “prosper” is a Hebrew verb that means “to pass through, to get on.” It really means “to thrive or succeed.” You see, the idea is, to pass through whatever you are doing so that you succeed in doing it. You complete the task and enjoy the benefit.
Over the years I have had to do a number of unpleasant things. Once we had an old septic system. The tile leading to and from the tank was old, and eventually collapsed, making it impossible for us to use the facility. So I went out and dug it all up. The family had strict instructions not to use it while I was working. But somebody forgot and I got doused. Well, I finally finished the job and got it fixed. We were back in business again. I had worked through the unpleasant task and could now enjoy the result of my labor.
In like fashion, Isaiah is saying that our Lord will pass through the awful process of the crucifixion so that He will ultimately succeed in accomplishing His purpose: redemption for mankind; the destruction of the devil; victory over sin and death; eternal life for all who believe in Him. That’s the pleasure of the Lord, and it will “prosper in His hand.”
Say – prosperity is more than money. It’s knowing the pleasure of the Lord.