Is it wrong to pray for prosperity?

In many places the Bible suggests and sometimes states outright that God desires us to flourish, to be at peace, to prosper. But what does the Bible mean by prosperity?

Prosperity can be considered from two perspectives, with two different results. It feels really wrong to ask God for personal success and riches; there is no peace inside with a prayer like that. But when I pray for success that benefits more people than myself, say for my business--where others are employed--for example, I feel much differently. In this scenario, my prosperity benefits employees; praying for this type of prosperity pretty much becomes necessary because others depend on my success.

We see this same thing in the patriarchs of the Old Testament. Abraham was abundantly blessed with livestocks and wealth--a material prosperity that flowed over to his extended family and servants. Abraham's faith yielded a prosperity that benefited many beneath the shade of his tree.

That is not the way prosperity is marketed today. We tend to want wealth and success for personal reasons; its benefit rarely extends beyond one's immediate family. In some instances it doesn't even extend that far! Our individualistic society has lost the ability and joy for communal sharing, the very thing Biblical prosperity is intended to build. Now we rely on the government to aid our poor, to care for the sick, and to provide for our elderly relatives. We say, that is why we pay our taxes!

God does want to prosper us but it is not for our personal individualistic empowerment. Rather, when he grants us material abundance he intends it to help us be our brothers' keepers.