Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers. 

3 John 1:2

Years ago, I had to revisit algebra in an attempt to help our son with his school work.  One thing I learned is that equations need to be balanced.  For example 2 +5 = 10-3 is a balanced equation.  You probably remember from school that what you do to one side of that equation, you have to do to the other side to keep it balanced. An equation can be unbalanced otherwise.

When I looked at this verse recently, I saw it as an equation.  What if it could be written like this:  prospering and being in good health = your soul (mind, will and emotions) prospering. What if the power and the truth of that verse lie in the balancing of that equation?

One aspect of the meaning of prospering is that nothing is missing and nothing is lacking. Having what is necessary to have a successful journey here on earth. Money is part of it, but it encompasses so much more. What is lacking in your life? Joy, peace, forgiveness, health, love…?

If, and this might be a big if, our mind – our thinking patterns, the tapes we play over and over in our head, our outlook on life, lined up more and more each day with the word of God, wouldn’t that affect our will and our emotions positively?  And if that happened on that side of this equation, wouldn’t it cause for more prospering and health on the other side of the equation?

Too many times, it is easy to allow feelings and emotions to guide our thinking and our behaviors, but what if we reversed that? What if our feelings followed our thinking and our thinking followed the word of God?  Wouldn’t there be healing in that area of our life?

If one side of this equation effects the other, then my soul prospering will raise the level of prospering and health I experience in other areas of my life, like my finances and my body and my relationships.  I think that’s kind of exciting and a worthy goal, to have my soul prosper and my life follow that. How do I do this? By renewing my mind by reading the word of God, meditating on it, and applying what I learn in my life by God’s freely given grace. Daily or minute to minute. 

Once again, I am renewed in my mind by reading Your word. Once again, I feel hope arise in me. I desire to prosper and be in good health, I desire to finish the course You have set before me and I need Your resources to do that. I need Your word and Your grace and Your provisions. I need good health. Help me to feed upon Your word, to allow it to have its perfect work in me and help me to be fruitful in every good work. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I would love to hear from you. Please let me know if I can be praying for you as well.

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