Name it and Claim it

There are many people who ask if I can pray for them to become rich. They believe Psalm 37:4 to mean that if you believe in God, you can ask Him for whatever it is that you want and that He will give it to you. If you're one of these people, I'm afraid that you misunderstand what it means to be a follower of Jesus. What you're talking about is called the "prosperity gospel". It's also referred to as "Name it and Claim it" theology or the "Word of Faith" movement. This is the idea that becoming a Christian guarantees an easy, abundant, comfortable life.

 

In fact, Paul warns Timothy about "men...who suppose that godliness is a means of gain" In 1 Timothy 6:5. In verse 1 Timothy 6:6 he goes on to say "But godliness actually is a a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called..."

Being a Christian does NOT guarantee an easy life. In fact Jesus said "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple." Do you know what He meant when said to carry your own cross? He meant that you should bear your sufferings willingly just as He did when He carried that cross up the hill where He was to be crucified. In Matthew 26:53 He tells one of His disciples "Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" Jesus endured all that suffering because of His great love for you! In turn, He expects His followers to be able to endure suffering because of their love for Him.

His followers have endured suffering because of their love for Him too. Let's look at Paul, probably the most famous of all the disciples. 2 Corinthians 11:25-31 records his sufferings. "Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying." Paul did this because of his love for Jesus. On top of all that tradition tells us that Paul was tortured and then beheaded by Roman Emperor Nero in AD 67.

I'm aware that this is a hard thing to hear. And, knowing this, I understand if you want to reconsider your decision to follow Christ. I would encourage you to really seek God on this matter and decide if following Him is something that you are willing to do. Just know that the reward for your what you suffer now is well worth it. Just as Paul said in Romans 5, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in the hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations [i.e. sufferings], knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one hardly will die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Romans 5: 1-11)

Coming back around to Psalm 37:4, many people like to ignore the first part of that verse, "Delight yourself in the Lord". When you delight yourself in the Lord, HE is your heart's desire. And, praise God, He does not hold Himself back from those who want Him!

Other resources:
http://www.blogos.org/exploringtheword/desires-heart.php
http://www.gotquestions.org/delight-yourself-in-the-Lord.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/name-it-claim-it.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/Word-Faith.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/prosperity-gospel.html