Kate Bowler is an assistant professor of the history of North American Christianity at the Duke University Divinity School. She did her Ph. D. dissertation on the history of what is commonly called the “prosperity gospel”. For those of you who do not know that term, Bowler defines it this way in her New York Times op-ed piece, Death, the Prosperity Gospel and Me.

 

 

Bowler points out that when Prosperity Gospel people do prosper, they call themselves “blessed”. They are blessed because they have the right kind of faith and so will receive from God whatever they ask for. It’s kind of like that Janis Joplin’s song “Mercedes Benz”:

 

If Janis’ prayer would have resulted in a mysterious envelope with enough cash for an evening out, it was because she had enough faith to be blessed. If not … well … woe to Janet. Is this what Jesus is talking about? All we need to do is ask, search, knock and we will get whatever we want? No. We need to read the rest of the passage:

 

 

What are we to ask for? Not “goods” but “good things”, because “good things” is what God will give us. You see, this passage is about prayer. It teaches us to rely on God for the things we need, in accordance with God’s will. Remember this passage follows Jesus’ teaching his disciples the Lord’s Prayer where we are told to pray for the will of God to be done. Not our will – but the will of God – will be provided.

I like the way Willam Barkley puts it:

 

 

How does God answer our prayers? With the incarnation. There is nothing more we can ask for.