During one of my first visits to the Temple, a verse that I had never noticed came on the screen.

God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. Psalms 68.6

Think about it. This eliminates the religious theory that God tests people with trials of poverty and hands each one of us the responsibility over our own lives. The Bible is very clear about the role of God. There is no doubt about what He wants to do in the lives of those who serve Him: His promises aren’t only for after a person dies, they are for today, for now.

God fulfills all our needs. Or, at least, this is what He wants to do. Are you alone? God wants you to have a family. This is what He wants to do for you. Are you living a life of misery, poverty, oppression? God wants to give you prosperity (interesting, right? Those who criticize us when we speak about prosperity are criticizing the Author of the Bible…).

So why hasn’t this happened in everyone’s life? Why are so many good people suffering, constantly being defeated? Why are there so many believers out there that have never seen prosperity in any area of their lives, living off of crumbs, with a miserable life?

The last sentence strikes as a straight shot: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

I kept looking at this phrase on the screen, and even after it disappeared from my sight, it didn’t disappear from my mind. “the rebellious dwell in a dry land”… This verse leaves us no doubts. It does not say that some of those who dwell in dry land are rebellious. If it said, “the rebellious dwell in a dry land” I would assume there are more people out there with them, which would put a lot of Christians at ease. However, to say that “but the rebellious dwell in a dry land,” the Bible is clear and straightforward. No one, other than the rebellious, dwell in dry land. This is an exclusive place for them.

So I pulled out my Bible to see if the context confirmed otherwise. Sometimes a single verse can give the wrong idea of what the text actually means, and after reading the verses that come before and after, we can see that it meant something completely different. But, on the contrary, the context only confirmed what the verse said. The entire chapter speaks of how God is impressively powerful, and how He takes care of His people. Only those who are not with Him are left unprotected. It’s as simple as that.

A person who attends church every week, prays often, gives offerings and may even have a title in the church, but is dwelling on dry land with a miserable, unhappy and oppressed life may not understand… “why is this happening to me? I’m doing everything right! I don’t do anything wrong!” He would never consider himself a rebellious person. How can someone who practically lives in church be rebellious?

However, God considers what no one else sees. It is something that lies deep within our being. His way of seeing people… bad eyes, wicked tongue, sometimes it comes off as just a joke… the hurt, the lack of control, lying, a lack of fear, a lack of reverence, a lack of respect for your parents, husband, the law… Dictionary.com defines “rebel” as follows:

1. A person who refuses allegiance to, resists, or rises in arms against the government or ruler of his or her country.
2. A person who resists any authority, control, or tradition.
3. Rebellious, defiant.

A rebel is someone who does not submit to God’s authority and does not respect authorities here on Earth. It is someone who refuses to obey, does not subject himself or herself to the discipline of the Almighty. This type of people wants to do everything by the strength of their own arms. He thinks he can get around the rules, wants to do things his way, and does not care about what God thinks.

A rebel thinks he is a revolted person, but someone that is truly revolted fears and respects God. A rebel is revolted against his problems, and not against the Authority. Because he knows that God is powerful, he does not accept a situation that goes against what is written.

A rebel does not listen to God. He does not obey because he does not want to sacrifice the truth. He may find it easy to place money on the Altar, but he does not want to put his will on the Altar. May the religious forgive me, but those who have dwelled in a dry land falls in the category of a rebel. And it’s good to correct your path while there is still time. It is the only way for the lonely to live happily with their family and the captives be freed, achieving prosperity. This is what God wants. And He’s just waiting for an attitude of repentance that is sincere, even though, hes remained a rebel up until today.