“Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” – Proverbs 30:8-9
We find an incredible prayer in Proverbs chapter 30. The writer prays for God to keep him from poverty, but also from riches. We have probably all prayed, “keep me from poverty.” But we have also probably all prayed to receive riches. So what is different? Why does this prayer differ from our own?
Our prayer, whether it is to avoid poverty or it is a prayer for riches, is self-centered. We want our life to be as comfortable as possible. However, the prayer in Proverbs is God-centered. Notice how the writer gives us the purpose behind what he asks for; he desires to always honor God. Riches create an environment where he is in danger of forgetting about God entirely. And poverty creates a situation where he may take matters into his own hands and commit a sin that would dishonor God.
As long as we call on God to carry out our own will, we will continue to miss out on true and pure prayer. But when we make the things of God our first priority in prayer and in action, then we will see God step in and accomplish incredible things.
Father, change our will and shape our hearts to desire Your will above our own. And then let our prayers reflect our desire to simply bring glory to You.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon <><