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Does God care About our Comfort?In my last video I talked about the role of prayer in the lives of Christians. One of you posted the following question:
I often say that Jesus died for our sins and for our salvation, not for us to live a comfortable life. […] Is there anywhere in the Bible where God cares about our comfort or what we want on this Earth that is not related to our salvation? In the sense: does God care about our wants and desires […] Friends, entertainment or more money even is all so very low on his list of priorities? Why would he accommodate us?
There you go! Time to explore this question together.
Spiritual Abundance
The first answer we’ll receive to this question is probably that God mostly wants to bless us spiritually. And yes, that in itself is a good answer and strongly supported by the Scriptures.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
John 10:10-11
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
But this is not the answer to whether God cares about our comfort.
Yes, God Does Care!
I absolutely believe that God cares about our comfort. By comfort, I mean our physical well-being. Why do I believe this you might ask? Well, for this we have to go back to the beginning of time. The Lord created everything and it was very good. We read when God created Adam and Eve, He placed them in the garden of Eden. This garden was full of abundance. Adam and Eve had everything they needed. On top of that, Adam didn’t need to work hard until he was expelled from the garden. The hardship came into this world after Adam and Eve sinned.
Looking at the original creation, we can safely say that God has no delight in His children lacking anything—instead He takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servants.
Psalm 35:27
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: Yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
Hidden Assumptions
Now, we come to core of the actual question. Why do so many Christians live in poverty? If God cares about our economical well-being, why are there Christians in this world that live in a shack and hardly have any food? Why do we see brothers and sisters who have to flee for their lives, abandoning all they have?
Let me say this first, we need to realise that those who ask these questions—I, myself included—are mostly those who have enough themselves. The question in itself has the hidden assumption that God’s goodness is somehow lacking.
If you look around you’ll see that a huge part of humanity lives in poverty. Going back to Genesis, we can safely say that this was absolutely not God’s intent. However, things turned sour really fast after the fall of Adam and Eve. About 1656 years later the world had gone so astray that the Lord ended it by flushing everything clean by means of the great flood. We read that God did this because His wrath against sin was overflowing. Was God lacking goodness here? Some will say yes, until they realise what humanity had become. The spiritual, economical and physical exploitation had become huge. But it also seems to me that God didn’t want His creation to even live in such a severe situation. He didn’t only do this to wipe out sin—else He would not have saved Noah and his family—no the Bible seems to suggest that God feels compassion over humanity. God does not rejoice over misery. Jesus gave us a unique insight in whom the Father is.
Matthew 9:36
But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
God promised never to destroy the world in that manner again. Now we live about 4358 years later, and we have seen the same things happening throughout history. I guess none of us would like it if God wiped out all the badness every so many years. Imagine God destroying everything every 500 years, because humanity can’t behave themselves… That would be horrific! But it is the ultimate solution. The other solution would be that God would take away our free-will and forcing us to be good for everybody and everyone.
But no! Instead, we see that the Lord patiently looks down from heaven while He has a much better plan in store for the world. He is still as much concerned with our well-being as in the beginning, but He promised not to intervene like He did with Noah’s flood. In His goodness He shows patience and promises that all His children will one day receive the rest they so desire.
Hebrews 4:1
Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
Being Blessed to Bless others
For some of us this promised rest has seemingly already started, but for most believers it will be when they die or when Christ returns. While, I live on Madagascar and have to deal with power-cuts and shortage of water—yesterday I told my kids not to flush the toilet because we needed that water for other stuff—I daily count my blessings. Why? Because even though our comfort level might not be on the same degree as those living in the Netherlands, it is much better than that of most Malagasy people.
The standard we raise is very dependent on where we live. My kids have learned to be thankful for enough drinking-water and electricity to charge their laptops. The children of my Malagasy friends have learned to be thankful for the three meals a day they have, in contrast to those who are thankful when they can cook a good meal once a day. Do you see where I am going?
We are being blessed so we can be a blessing for others. It is because I do not have to worry about my daily meals that I can go and visit the remote villages on Madagascar to preach the Gospel and to help people to get, for example, some medical assistance. My Malagasy friends do the same, but much less often because they need to save up enough money and food to last the family while they are away.
We know that God wants us to prosper. At the same time, He grants us our free will. But, sadly enough, our free will is corrupt. That means that those who have been born in the inland of Madagascar have a bigger change of living in poverty than those who have been born in the Netherlands. And trust me! I have lived here long enough to know that this country has more than enough resources to help its population to get to a much higher standard. However, this is prevented by the corruption of men. Most resources go the smallest group of the Malagasy people.
This is why Christians have been called to do good! This command isn’t only in the New Testament but, we can find it everywhere in the Bible. One very clear command can be found in Micah 6:8
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
God wants us to use our free-will to do justly, to be merciful and to walk with Him, while at the same time being modest, or humble if you like. Modest about who we are, but also humble in what we do and what we expect in our lives.
Answers to Prayer
I do recognise that, in the west, some are doing better than others, economically wise. On the other hand, we see not many instances where people are totally deprived of any comfort. In European countries we have pretty high standards when it comes to our ideas of what is comfortable and what not. In the Netherlands people, who have a job, are able to have a holiday at least one time per year. Now, some would say that they know someone who has a neighbour, who has a brother who has a friend who cannot enjoy a holiday because that person only gets the minimum wage. But honestly? What kind of holiday does that specific person want? Is it fair to say that this holiday needs to be of the standard as the holiday of someone who works as a CEO of a big company or as lawyer?
Especially for Christians I would like to say that they need to adjust their fancy ideas. Remember Micah? Walk humbly with thy God! Our live is not about gaining more and more goods or going on insanely expensive holidays. What is wrong with taking your kids to the beach or lake and enjoy a lovely picknick? Why should the birthday party of your child be like a grant opening of a new theatre? What is wrong with going to the local park to play, or what is wrong with games in and around the house and pancakes as birthday meal?
I believe that if we want to pray for more comfort we first should start thanking the Lord for what we have. Then our second prayer should be what we can do for others who might have a need. Our second prayer might be the answer to someone else’s prayer. I know of an instance where an evangelist in Liberia was robbed from his car during the civil war. In the midst of that war this evangelist continued his work. After the war he was left without a car, so he continued on foot. This was far from ideal because he had to visit very distant areas. It was a sincere point of prayer in a church in the Netherlands. Everyone wanted him to have a new car. Some folk looked at each other and wondered how much they had in their bank account. It was enough for a nice holiday, but it was also enough to bless this brother in Liberia. The prayer was not: “Lord, can you provide the brother with a new car?” No, the prayer was: “Thank you Lord that we are able to help him!”
How about those who have Nothing
In 2001, my wife and I have had the privilege to go to China with an organisation to smuggle Bibles and other biblical literature to the districts where these materials were forbidden. In Guangzhou we’ve met pastor Samual Lamb. Brother Lamb told us that he was imprisoned for more than 20 years. He told us about the death of his wife and other family members, and about the backbreaking work in coal mines at labour camps. We were astonished! He didn’t tell us because he wanted pity. No, he told us all these stories with a smile on his face and happiness in his eyes. Brother Lamb explained that his church grew every time he was imprisoned. He concluded that if his imprisonment meant that more people where being saved, he would gladly go for the rest of his life. Lamb’s ‘holy principle’ was: ‘more persecution only has one outcome: more growth.’
Ultimately this is God’s purpose. He wants everybody to be saved! The churches in the west are in a strong decline, while the churches in countries with strong persecution are growing rapidly. While radical Muslims slaughter our Nigerian brothers and sisters, the church in that same country grows. Not only that, the church spreads like wildfire! The Nigerian Christians are fleeing for their lives, taking the Gospel of salvation with them where ever they go.
Persecuted Christians tell powerful stories of faith, resilience, and the value of community during tough times. Their stories show the truth of suffering for one’s beliefs and the strength in their faith, often stressing that these challenges strengthen their bond with God.
I feel a bit embarrassed when I hear that Christians who have nothing and who fear for their lives, are actually praying for us in the west. We are contemplating questions about whether God wants to give us some more stuff while they are being hunted and have nothing. The times I’ve met Christians who seemingly had nothing, I noticed that they had something of much greater value than a good bed to sleep in. They sleep on the floor and still experience peace and quietness in their hearts.
1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
I know this all sound like a banality, but history has proven that many of these poor Christians seem to feel rich beyond any imagination.
Empty Feelings
I am afraid that our luxurious lives in the west have caused many to be lukewarm. Weirdly enough, those who have hardship, persecution, or other trouble in their lives, seem to be more concerned about their relationship with the Father than those who have much. The prayers of the poor are much more about them being equipped to endure than about economical advancement.
It is mostly because we are in the position to worry about a flat-screen or a second car, that we are feeling that something is missing. Just wanting to have more and more shows that extra stuff can never really satisfy.
Matthew 6:19-21
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
What am I Saying?
So, am I saying that it is wrong to pray the Lord to bless you economically? No, in itself that’s not wrong. We know God cares, but we also know that we live in a fallen world. That means that things can and will go wrong. Sometimes not even because of our own stupidity, but because of others. It would be very strange if, as soon as someone became a Christian, that person would never be subject to misery again. That would inevitably result in false conversions. People would want to belong to God, not out of love, but out of laziness and greed. But having said that, we shouldn’t think we aren’t allowed express our needs or desires.
I’ll give you an example. In August 2022 we were having our 25th weddings anniversary. In the year before we saved enough money to travel to a beautiful island before the coast of Madagascar. However, just a few months before we would go to this island we ended up in a very difficult time. I had a car crash which totalled the car. On top of that, we had to move back to the capital city for several reasons. All in all, we lost about 500 Euro from our savings meaning we couldn’t go and celebrate our anniversary as we’ve planned. I felt horrible, and I am sure so did my wife and our children. We really looked forward.
I brought in prayer before God’s throne. I didn’t even ask Him to give me money, I just shared how I felt. Yes, I was at an all-time low. That same week I received an email from a brother I hadn’t seen for many years. He wrote that he had received some extra allowance and that the Lord put it on his heart to give it to us. He also said that he didn’t know the reason so we were free to use it as we liked. When I saw the amount he gave, it totally amazed me… It was 500 Euros!
But the story is not over. Initially we planned to go by car, which is the cheapest option but also the most inconvenient option. That week a pilot of the mission organisation MAF contacted me. They were going to fly to that island and they had seven empty seats. Whether we were interested to tag along without actually paying for the seats. As you might understand we’ve had a wonderful time on the island.
So, the thing I am trying to say is that it is alright to bring thing in prayer to the Father. However, due to circumstances it might not always go the way you wanted. Things can go wrong. You might wreck your car and have to spend your last money on a new one. Still, we may bring our sorrows before the throne of God, and He might direct a situation in such a way that you’ll be able to buy that new (or second hand) car.
There is a difference in asking the Lord to just give you that very expensive laptop which you strictly don’t need, and telling Him that you are worried about not having transport to go to your job. Is your prayer about just getting richer, or is your prayer about a real genuine worry. As long as you don’t really have to worry about what you have, your prayer might even be changed in asking the Lord about whom you can bless with what you have.
Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
