Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:6-8)

The world’s first billionaire, John D. Rockefeller, was once asked, “How much money is enough?”

His answer?

“Just a little bit more.”

I’m not a billionaire—and it’s a safe bet that I’ll never be one. But I understand the mindset behind Rockefeller’s answer because it’s a mindset that I often fall into.

I want more.

Whether it’s money, possessions, recognition for our work, followers online, likes on social media posts, time here on earth, friendships, relationships, approval from loved ones, what-have-you—we’re all chasing something. No matter how hard we pursue such things, no matter how much we attain, it won’t be enough. It’ll never be enough.

We’ll never truly be satisfied with such things. We’ll never truly feel—or be—secure in them because they don’t last.

So why do we chase after them?

The short and obvious answer is that we’re sinful people. But let’s dig a little deeper, using the verses quoted above from Psalm 4.

Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” (Psalm 4:6)

The dictionary defines prosperity (being prosperous) as having success in material terms and/or flourishing financially. That seems to be the mindset of the people quoted by the psalmist.

Why?

Perhaps it was because they were looking at the nations around them and seeing how plentiful their harvests were, how abundantly blessed they appeared to be—and they wondered, Why aren’t we as prosperous as them?

Or, perhaps, they were looking at their fellow Israelite neighbors and were wondering the same exact thing. Aren’t we also God’s children? Why did he bless them more than us?

Our definition of prosperity as sinful people is always based on what other people have, as well as what we don’t have.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the psalmist gives us another definition, a better definition, of prosperity in the verses quoted above.

Let the light of your face shine on us. Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety. (Psalm 4:6-8)

The light of our heavenly Father’s face—his love, his mercy, and his favor—shines on us because of our Savior Jesus and what he has done out of love for us. By his perfect life and innocent death, we’ve been set free from sin, death, and the power of the devil!

God doesn’t promise financial success or material possessions to those who follow him. Through his Word and sacraments, God says to us again and again, “I am enough for you. My grace, my forgiveness, my love, and my family—they’re all yours, for Jesus’ sake.”

As we focus on Jesus and what he has done for us, our view and definition of prosperity is reshaped and reformed. When other people succeed and prosper from a worldly point of view, we can rejoice. Even if we don’t succeed or prosper from a worldly point of view. We can thank God for the blessings he showers upon other people, freely out of his undeserved love.

How?

Our hearts are already full with joy from being God’s children. His face shines on us. He is smiling upon us. Our sins are forgiven. We’re dearly loved by our heavenly Father. We have a home in heaven waiting for us. Every other good thing that happens in our lives is grace upon grace. And even if no other good thing happens to us in our lives, we’ve already been blessed with the greatest blessing possible: God has given us Jesus.

Whether we have much or little in this life from a material, financial point of view, we don’t need just a little bit more. Prosperity—true prosperity—is already ours, dear Christian. The Lord is with us. We can lie down and sleep in peace because he alone makes us dwell in safety.

In him, we have everything that we need.

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