Passage
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3 John 1:2 (KJV)
Nearby Context
3 John 1:1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
3 John 1:3 For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
3 John 1:4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "all things", "beloved", "wish", "above", "thou", "mayest", "prosper", and "health". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "beloved", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius whom..." into verse 3's "For I rejoiced greatly when the brethren...", so "all things" and "beloved" belong inside that flow. In 3 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "beloved" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.