Designed To Prosper
3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.
God’s desire is for us to prosper. The word prosper in the Greek is euodoó which literally means “good way, road, journey or path”. It comes from two words: “eu” which means “good” and “hodos” meaning “a way, road, journey, or path”. So, to prosper is to travel on the good way, the road leading to real success. How can we make sure we are journeying on the right path in our lives? Jesus said He is the way (hodos) and the truth and the life so genuine prosperity can only come by following Jesus. Allowing Him to guide you when you have decisions to make and putting His teaching into practice is true wisdom.
Synonyms for prosper include flourish and thrive. God also cares about the prosperity of our souls. Our soul is our mind and emotions so these days, we would define soul prosperity as being excellent mental health. A good parent’s ultimate desire for their children is that they physically, mentally, and emotionally thrive and the source of that desire is our Heavenly Father. Jesus also said that He came so that we might have abundant life (John 10:10) which is another way of saying that we might flourish and thrive. Our mental health has a significant impact on our physical health; it’s well known that chronic stress is a causative or contributing factor to a myriad of serious health conditions. But long before there were studies linking stress to disease, God revealed this to the apostle John. As your soul prospers, so your health will be good too and that is God’s will for your life.
So how do we make sure our souls are prospering? Jesus said “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). We were not designed to carry the burdens of stress, anxiety, depression or discouragement. These things steal our peace, stop us sleeping and eventually take a toll on our physical health.
It’s so important to do a daily mental health check. Be intentional every day about spending time with Jesus and giving Him all your worries. He promises to give you rest and refresh you when you do that. In that place of rest, the voice of the enemy is stilled and we can discern the voice of God and receive His guidance for every situation. The more we make this a habit in our lives the more our souls will prosper.
Lord Jesus, thank You that Your desire is for me to thrive. I choose to give you all my worries now. Thank You for restoring my peace of mind, giving me joy and fresh hope. I trust You will take care of me and give me wisdom concerning the situations I’m going through. May your peace fill my heart and cause me to prosper in my mind, body and spirit today. Amen