We pray that our family, friends and church would be healthy. Should we also pray that they would be wealthy as well?
3 John 1:2
I pray that you may be healthy in body and prosper in your finances, even as your soul prospers in Christ.
Is this an inappropriate prayer? What do you think?
No, "everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving". But at the same time, "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."
I think it's easier to be greedy for wealth than for health, so money is more dangerous, but both are good things if sanctified by prayer. At the same time, fasting is a common spiritual practice for a reason — we need to detach our overly-tenacious affections from this world and set our mind on things above, where Christ is.
I have been in fitness circles before and I've seen how "health" can be just a big of an idol as wealth.
But the comment on fasting is interesting. Is there a wealth fast? What does that look like?
In a way a lot of Catholic fasts are wealth fasts, where they abstain from meat, aka eat like poor people. I don't know if that's intended though. Hospitality is also sort of a wealth fast. You give your extra space/food to a person who needs it, which lowers your standard of living too.
🤔interesting
Always ask. God may grant difficult providences, at times for His own purposes, which may seem (to us) like a "no" answer, but we should still ask. He works all things for our good.
Blessed to be a blessing.
