You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

When something good happens, are you prone to take credit for it? I mean, I worked hard for that promotion, raise, bonus, title…I deserve it. In our last week of the Deeper Life through Prayer series, we are looking at praying through blessing.

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We must take care as we dive into this idea because, if mishandled, it has the potential to drive us toward a prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel centers on the believer using God to gain wealth, success, and advantage, whereas the true gospel centers on God choosing to use and partner with the believer to advance His kingdom. We see this amazing partnership at work in today’s passage.

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God is speaking to the people of Israel through Moses before they enter the Promised Land after wandering in the desert for 40 years. He is warning them to NOT forget where the goodness of this land comes from. Let’s back up to verse 7 to give some context: “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.” Dropping down to verse 17-18, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth that he may confirm his covenant and that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

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So, what is the covenant that Moses is referring to here? It is the Mosaic covenant, the promise God gave Moses and his people on Mount Sinai. In Exodus 19:5-6, the Lord says, “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The law, the terms of the covenant, had been given, and the people agreed, “all that the LORD has spoken we will do” (v. 8). This was a conditional covenant between God and His people: If they obeyed the commands given, then He would bless them. If they disobeyed, then he would punish them.

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But that was the Old Covenant. See, God had put this law in place to point the people toward their need for a Savior – the Messiah, Jesus (Rom. 3:20). From the very beginning, God wanted His people to be set apart, to be different from the other nations, and so He gave them the guidelines to be that. However, knowing we would never be able to fulfill the law on our own, He sent Jesus when the time was right. And when Jesus came, He fulfilled this covenant.

We no longer live under this conditional covenant — do good, get good; do bad, get bad. Jesus took our punishment and lives so we can have abundant life in Him. We don’t produce anything good on our own — it all is from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

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As a broken people, our tendency is to take credit when we are “successful.” When things are going well, we tend to forget our need for our Heavenly Father and thus get complacent in our time of prayer with Him. But as Pastor Josh said in his sermon a few weeks back, prayer is the vehicle to come into the presence of God. It’s not about praying only when we need something. It’s about basking in His presence, thanking Him for all He has done, and acknowledging that the blessings are from Him alone. He empowers us to live abundantly, and all credit should be pointed back at Him.

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So, enjoy the abundance when it comes. God wants that for you. But also, remember where it all comes from. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. Where have you been complacent in giving God the credit? Where have you missed the opportunity to enter into His presence to give Him thanks and glory? Take a few minutes now to acknowledge His roll in all the good in your life.

God, we give You all the credit. Every good and perfect gift is from You — remind us that even in the good times, You long to be with us, Your people. If we are in a time of struggle, help us to look back at the times of abundance and be thankful once again. God, I pray that this series on prayer has drawn us into closer communion with You. Help us to continue on this journey for a Deeper Life throughout our year. We love You Jesus! In Your name we pray ~ AMEN