Money Myth-Buster

By Pastor Bill

Sometimes, in a family, hidden assumptions are at work underneath self-oriented feelings of frustration and resentment. Within the evangelical family, one of the unspoken assumptions that deserves exposure and correction is the following money-related myth: If I just trust God, He will give me “all the desires of my heart.”

What the Scripture in question actually says is, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). In context, this passage has nothing necessarily to do with economic prosperity. First, the text does not say, “Delight yourself,” but, “Delight yourself in the Lord”! So here is no endorsement of self-gratification. Secondly, the promise is for God-given desires not for the fulfillment of our wish lists.

The psalmist does not promise that all we can conceive of enjoying will come to us, but that our desires to taste more of God in many ways will be put into our hearts. If we buy into the myth that trust in God entitles us to monetary freebees and financial success, we’ll quietly grow disappointed and doubtful, even resentful. But if we fully delight in the Lord, He will bless us by implanting within us the desires of our hearts, including God-oriented financial desires, all of which will redound to His glory.

Resultantly, John Piper’s truism is worth pondering again: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Pastor Bill