Some people take verses like Luke 11:9-10 and try to twist God’s protection promise around to mean that Christians should never suffer in life and that everything will be perfect and everyone will be wealthy if they only believe. They believe God wants everyone to have spiritual, physical, emotional, and material blessings, prosperity in all things, and untold abundance. Just ask for riches, and they are there for you.
“Ask and it will be given to you,” right?
Nope. This is wrong on many levels.
God’s protection promise is not be equated with perfection and a total lack of difficulties in life. Far from having no suffering in life, God’s Word assures us we will suffer—but he will not let us suffer more than we can bear. Consider this:
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
God promises he is always with us, but he has never promised perfection.
The prosperity message seems to have no understanding of and no use at all for suffering. But God has a higher purpose for the adversity we experience in our lives. Scripture can be found that promises material blessings, but there are also other passages showing the wicked prospering while the righteous suffer. While the good man has poor soil and a small crop, sometimes the evil man has good soil and a large crop. The righteous man may live his life in pain and have his life cut short, while the evil man can live a long life with little suffering and much prosperity.
It is just not true that God wants everyone to be awash in blessings, prosperity, and abundance.
The Bible is clear that not only may the righteous suffer, but some of the righteous suffer precisely because of their righteousness. In fact, the apostle Paul writes “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12
