Some friends of mine, a married couple, needed a second car. They decided to pray specifically. They wanted a new van, chose the make and model, and decided it should be blue. So they began to pray that the Lord would provide according to their specifications.

Meanwhile, they came across an older, full-size car that they were able to afford, expecting it to be a temporary solution. The car was quite dependable, and served to provide the husband with basic transportation. Some time later, they still had not gotten the van.

I came to conclude that the Lord had already met the couple's real need, according to his will. It was their wants He held back on.

Being human, we tend to do one of two things: (1) We get greedy and high-minded. We want to get fat, not just fed. We want to be spoiled with excess. Or (2) We get idealistic. Because God has all power and owns all things, He can give us anything we can imagine. We get delusions of grandeur. Hence we tend to embellish our prayers with our own ideas about how God should answer them.

Thankfully, the Lord, the only one who really knows the future and all the circumstances, and also knows how much material prosperity we can each handle, will provide for our needs -- that is, as long as we don't meddle and mess things up! Moreover, the only really important prosperity is spiritual. Serving the Lord should be every Christian's first priority, even if our obedience entails hardship, toil, and danger, even unto death. Remember that the martyrs gave their all.

The lesson: Let God define your prosperity.

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