As our soul prospers . . . can mean as God prepares us spiritually so we can see and benefit from all He does with us. We need the right character to seek the right things, and the right character to see things the right way, and the right character to do what is right with what we have. And God is so good; He will do better than all we now can handle well; so as we pray, we need to trust Him to correct us so we become able to handle well all that He will share with us
Satan was in Heaven itself. That was prosperity; but Satan was not satisfied, even in the perfect circumstances of Heaven and all the loving there. So, Satan did not benefit from having such prosperity.
So, I would say prayer includes seeking our Father for His correction (Hebrews 12:6-11), so we have His love's perfection with ability to appreciate and do good with all He shares with us.
And it needs to be about "us" . . .
not only me, myself, and I; because we are one body, all together. We need to be praying "for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18). Or else, we could be praying selfishly and be in character not making us able to receive and benefit from the good God desires to do with us.
So, in prayer I see it is good to trust God that He will do more and better than we can hope and pray >
Ephesians 3:20-21 > He is able to do more and better than we can think;
Psalm 40:5 > His thoughts "toward us" cannot be numbered; I note how David says God's thoughts of prosperity are "toward us", not only toward "me" ! ! !
Romans 8:26 says "we do not know what we should pray for as we ought" > I see this includes that we do not know the good that we ought to pray for > it is better, even in practical life, than we can now think to ask and expect and look for! So, we need to seek in prayer Him to prepare us so we become able to perceive and enjoy and benefit from all He does. And this is in sharing with our Jesus family brothers and sisters.
Because God is so good, He will answer our prayer the best possible way; so we should be ready to appreciate whatever He does, pray that He has us ready, thank Him for how He will do good. And right now He is already doing all that is good; so right now prayer can have us benefitting > "praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 20-21). In this love, we relate with Him tenderly and intimately and sweetly, while also sharing warmly in this love's affection with others who are praying and obeying in God's love.
Prosperity includes success . . . success at sharing with God and submitting to how God rules us in His own peace > Colossians 3:15; and success in loving warmly and kindly with our Jesus family people; and success in forgiving however we need to, so that we are not under the power of evil that people have done and still do > Romans 12:21; and success at having His sense in His love > "And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment." > Philippians 1:9 > with Hebrews 5:14 > "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
You are our Best of Everything,
supply of all our need;
to You may we all praises sing,
You heed our every need.
We could not first trust You,
but first You brought us through >
You are our sure excuse
to trust in none but You.
Oh, though we may stray in expectations,
You do not forsake Your sheep,
but keep us in Your chastening
'til we obey Your rest and peace - - -
share Your true things with You,
with whom we have to do . . .
turn vain things to Your use,
depend on none but You
to draw us to that adoration
intimate with joy so sweet,
that we might join in intercession's
love and groanings at Christ's feet . . .
in perfect love with You,
with one another, too - - -
forgetting all behind Jesus
to stay our mind on You;
and forgiving all less than Jesus,
to depend on none but You;
and forsaking all below Jesus,
to stake all our claim in You
who are our Best of Everything
