From the Westminster Confession of Faith:

Although true believers be not under the law, as a covenant of works, to be thereby justified, or condemned; yet is it of great use to them, as well as to others; in that, as a rule of life informing them of the will of God, and their duty, it directs and binds them to walk accordingly; discovering also the sinful pollutions of their nature, hearts, and lives; so as, examining themselves thereby, they may come to further conviction of, humiliation for, and hatred against sin, together with a clearer sight of the need they have of Christ, and the perfection of his obedience. It is likewise of use to the regenerate, to restrain their corruptions, in that it forbids sin: and the threatenings of it serve to show what even their sins deserve; and what afflictions, in this life, they may expect for them, although freed from the curse thereof threatened in the law. The promises of it, in like manner, show them God’s approbation of obedience, and what blessings they may expect upon the performance thereof: although not as due to them by the law as a covenant of works. So as, a man’s doing good, and refraining from evil, because the law encourageth to the one, and deterreth from the other, is no evidence of his being under the law; and, not under grace.

I’ve always sneered at health and wealth type stuff because there is a lot that deserves sneering at. But I’ve also noticed that it is on a spectrum from deeply stupid and deeply heretical to a much more orthodox side. Recently, I was listening to Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue audiobook and was interested in how she adapted to the news when she learned she was about to give birth to a Down’s Syndrome baby. She was honestly surprised at God and had to think through what it must mean.

True confession: my first impulse was to judge her for being so shocked something that bad could happen in her life.

But then I decided maybe I am the one with the problem.

Are we really supposed to go around without any expectation that God will bless us?

Yes I know God gives us trials, but we are supposed to pray that he doesn’t (“lead us not into temptation”). It can hardly be right to pray that prayer in the expectation that God will not agree to it.

Weirdly, at about the same time I listened to a Dave Ramsey lecture. Some of the stuff he says about “Murphy” and how an emergency fund seems to work as “Murphy repellent,” and about how God seems to prosper those taking steps to get out of debt and budget also sound close to “health and wealth” preaching.

But maybe I’ve got too broad a category. Does God or does he not say that he will give more responsibility to those who are faithful with the little bit that they have? Is the book of Proverbs true or not?

No it doesn’t happen every time for every one, but what should our normal expectations be.

If God never does anything above and beyond the statistical probabilities then how are we not atheists. If God doesn’t ever change our circumstances then why ask Him to change them when we pray?