What are you praying about during these hard financial times? If you could pray only one prayer about your finances, what would that prayer be?
Beliefnet is the largest multi-faith spirituality website in the world. It provides information and inspiration related to a variety of topics. The website has won several awards and boasts 5.8 million unique visitors per month. One section on Beliefnet recently featured “Prayers for Jobs and Money.”[1] So many people are struggling with finances that the site has devoted an entire section to helping people pray about money matters.
The Beliefnet prayers are a reflection of the fact that there is a lot of praying about money these days. Not surprisingly, financial problems often lead to financial prayers. From boardrooms to bedrooms, from the cubicle to the kitchen, from the about-to-be-retired to the recently-graduated, there’s a lot of praying these days about the economy. What are you praying about during these hard financial times? If you could pray only one prayer about your finances, what would that prayer be?
We get to listen to one man’s prayer about money in the book of Proverbs. Prov. 30 begins this way: The sayings of Agur son of Jakeh (Prov. 30:1 TNIV). We don’t much about this man Agur, except that he is a non-Israelite.[2] Both Agur and King Lemuel, the author of Prov. 31, are probably Massaites—Arabian wise men. It’s a little surprising to find words of wisdom from a non-Israelite in Proverbs. It would sort of be like having a recipe from a New Yorker included in a Southern Cookbook. Even more surprising is the fact that this non-Israelite is the author of the only prayer in Proverbs.[3] The only prayer in Proverbs is this prayer uttered by an outsider. But perhaps not surprisingly, Agur’s prayer includes petitions about money. The only prayer in Proverbs includes pleas regarding finances.
Notice that Agur prays not for something we may very well be praying for: 7 “Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 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 (Prov. 30:7-9 TNIV). Listen again to this part of the prayer: 8 give me neither…riches… 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’… (Prov. 30:8-9 TNIV). Agur prays not for the very thing many today are praying for: riches, abundance, and wealth.
In fact, it became common a few years ago for many Christians to pray for those very things. Nearly ten years ago a popular Christian book was published entitled The Prayer of Jabez.[4] The book focused on a man in 1 Chron. 4 named Jabez. The book reflected on his prayer. Here is that prayer: “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain” (1 Chr. 4:10 TNIV). The book based on this prayer became a hit and many Christians began praying the “Prayer of Jabez.” But some began praying it in a way that Jabez and the author of the book never intended. The “Prayer of Jabez” was perverted into a prayer for riches, wealth, and abundance. Christians began praying for God to bless them with wealth and to enlarge their financial territories. This was just one manifestation of what’s come to be called the “Health and Wealth Gospel”—the teaching that says God wants us to have trouble-free health and large amounts of wealth.
But in contrast to that perversion of the “Prayer of Jabez” is the “Prayer of Agur.” The “Prayer of Agur” urges us to pray not for wealth, not for riches, not for financial abundance. Why? Here’s how Agur puts it: … 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’… (Prov. 30:9 TNIV). The Prayer of Agur states that we are not to pray for surplus because it can lead to forgetfulness.
Agur says that when we have wealth or riches we may disown God and ask “Who is the LORD?” That question “Who is the LORD?” indicates forgetfulness. “Who is the LORD?” is not a question asked by someone confused about God’s identity. Agur is not imagining a person asking “Is God all-knowing or not? Is God all-powerful or not?” “Who is the LORD?” is really a question asked by someone who has forgotten God entirely. Agur envisions someone who becomes wealthy and then no longer even acknowledges God. The Prayer of Agur recognizes that the more we gain financially, the less we think spiritually. The greater our income, the less our perceived need for God.
In other words, there is a spiritual cost to financial recovery. If we could get everything we want—every failed bank back up and running, all foreclosed homes purchased, every lost job returned, the markets revving at record highs, consumer spending above average, and every American comfortably wealthy—there would be a tremendous cost. We would forget God, because the less our financial need, the less our direct awareness of our need for God.
The Prayer of Agur causes us to ask: Is there something more important than financial ease? Maybe there is something more significant in life than having the square feet I want in my home, the car I’d like, and the job I’d prefer. What if the real purpose of life is to live in daily awareness of God, in constant remembrance of God? Agur is saying that this is less likely to happen when you no longer have a felt-need for God. When you get to the point where you never struggle to pay a bill, rarely have to say “No” to a purchase, and always get what you want for Christmas, you move closer to a state of forgetting God.
Michael Schut cites research which finds that money does buy happiness, but only up to about $10,000.[5] That is, if person A has almost nothing and person B earns up to $10,000 per year, person B will have a higher life-satisfaction. As income rises to about $10,000, satisfaction also rises. But after about $10,000, the correlation weakens. For example, a sampling of Forbes magazine’s richest Americans shows that their life-satisfaction scores are similar to the life-satisfaction scores of the Pennsylvania Amish and only slightly higher than the Masai tribesmen—both of whom live modestly. The wealthiest people in the world are basically no happier in life than people who live modestly. Here’s another example: when homeless people in Calcutta, India were moved into a slum, their life-satisfaction scores almost doubled. When you go from having nothing to living in a slum, life is much more fulfilling. But the scores of those living in the slums were virtually identical to the life-satisfaction scores of college students in forty-seven nations. People living in a slum were just as happy in life as highly educated college students. The point is that something happens once income reaches a certain level. Once a person has basic necessities met, money no longer contributes significantly to life-satisfaction. But the Prayer of Agur takes this one step further. Agur’s prayer states that higher income actually may lead to less life-satisfaction. The less need we feel for basic necessities, the less need we feel for God, and thus the less truly fulfilled we are.
Here’s what it comes down to: because of the challenging economy there are now people who are praying more to God and thinking more about God than at any other time in their life. And Agur fears that if they suddenly get all the wealth they want, all that praying to God and all that thinking about God is going to stop. The Prayer of Agur teaches us that we are not to pray for surplus because it can lead to forgetfulness.
But the Prayer of Agur has even more to say. Listen to this part of this prayer: “…give me neither poverty…Otherwise, I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Prov. 30:8-9 TNIV). Agur not only prays not for wealth, riches, or surplus. He also prays not for poverty, little, or scarcity. Agur prays that he will not have to live with financial stress, with little ability to pay bills, with constant worry about his next meal.
At first glance, this may seem an odd part of the prayer. Why would Agur even mention this? Some of us are likely to pray for surplus, so it makes sense that Agur would advise us against that. But are any of us tempted to pray for scarcity? Why would Agur caution us against something it seems we’re not likely to do anyway?
As odd as it may seem, there are some things going on in our culture which might actually make this part of the prayer very relevant. For example, there is thread in some contemporary Christian thought which seems to glorify poverty. There are some today who seem to imply that living in poverty is more spiritual, more righteous, and more Christ-like. For example, while at Pepperdine University recently I was told about one of the students who was invited to live among a group of poor people for one year. That’s a great opportunity. That student will be transformed by the experience. But as other students told me about that student, some of them talked as if life in general would be better, and spirituality richer, if we could all just sell all we have and live constantly as the poor live. There are some today who seem to think that a life of scarcity would be a better life. In addition, because of the difficulty economy, some in America are closer to poverty than they’ve ever been. And it might be easy to think, “Maybe this poverty is a good thing. Maybe instead of looking for a job or trying to find some income, I should just embrace my new poverty.”
But notice once more the prayer of Agur: “…give me neither poverty…Otherwise, I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. (Prov. 30:8-9 TNIV). Agur recognizes that, just as surplus carries a spiritual cost, so does scarcity. Agur urges us not to pray for scarcity because it can lead to faithlessness. Agur believes it is possible that scarcity, having many needs, will lead him to steal what he needs. This, in turn, Agur argues, would be a dishonoring of God’s name: Otherwise, I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God. How is stealing a dishonoring of the name of God? First, what is the name of God? Agur says it earlier: Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ The LORD is the name of God. And, as we saw in the “Present Tense” series from Ex. 34, the name “the LORD” ultimately means “I am present”, “I am God,” and “I am God for you.” The name “LORD” communicates that God is present and that God provides. Agur believes, however, that scarcity can lead a person to no longer trust that God is present and that God provides. A person living in scarcity may conclude that God’s not going to do anything to put food on the table. So, the person takes matters into his own hands. He steals what he needs. He no longer has faith that God’s going to come through. And in that sense, stealing is profaning the name of God. It demonstrates a lack of faith in the identity of God. The Prayer of Agur urges us not to pray for scarcity because it can lead to faithlessness.
What then does Agur urge us to pray for? Listen once more: 7 “Two things I ask of you, LORD; do not refuse me before I die: 8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. 9 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. (Prov. 30:7-9 TNIV). Agur urges us to believe that real economic recovery is not about surplus nor about scarcity. Real economic recovery is about sufficiency. The Prayer of Agur says we are to pray for a life of sufficiency which avoids forgetfulness and faithlessness. The prayer finds its deepest challenge at this point. For the small minority of us who are tempted to embrace scarcity as something more spiritual, the Prayer of Agur urges us to instead pray for sufficiency. Rather than asking for no bread, we are to ask for sufficient bread—bread for the day. And for the majority of us who are tempted to embrace surplus as a preferable lifestyle, the Prayer of Agur urges us to pray instead for sufficiency. Rather than working for shelf after shelf of bread, the Prayer of Agur urges us to pray only for today’s bread.
Mark Twain in his autobiography recounts his early years in Hannibal, Missouri and one of his first experiences with prayer:[6] Mrs. Horr was a New England lady of middle age with New England ways and principles and she always opened school with prayer and a chapter from the New Testament; also she explained the chapter with a brief talk. In one of these talks she dwelt upon the text, “Ask and ye shall receive,” and said that whosoever prayed for a thing with earnestness and strong desire need not doubt that his prayer would be answered. I was so forcibly struck by this information and so gratified by the opportunities it offered…I thought I would give it a trial. I believed in Mrs. Horr thoroughly and I had no doubts as to the result. I prayed for gingerbread. Margaret Kooneman, who was the baker’s daughter, brought a slab of gingerbread to the school every morning; she had always kept it out of sight before but when I finished my prayer [for gingerbread] and glanced up, there it was in easy reach and I believe I never enjoyed an answer to prayer more than I enjoyed that one; and I was a convert, too. I had no end of wants and they had always remained unsatisfied up to that time, but I meant to supply them and extend them now that I had found out how to do it. Especially in difficult economic times we may be tempted, as Twain was, to use prayer to fulfill our endless wants. We might be tempted to pray for endless gingerbread. But that’s not the Prayer of Agur. The Prayer of Agur teaches us not to pray for endless gingerbread. It urges us instead to pray for daily bread. The more we pray the Prayer of Agur, the more we find contentment and fulfillment in a life of sufficiency.
What are you praying about during these hard financial times? If you could pray only one prayer about your finances, what would it be? Proverbs asks us to make it the Prayer of Agur. Pray not for surplus. Pray not for scarcity. But pray for simple sufficiency.
The Prayer of Agur finds its fullest meaning in the Prayer of Jesus: 9 “This, then, is how you should pray: ” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread” (Matt. 6:9-11 TNIV). Jesus prays the Prayer of Agur. But Jesus changes it using one word—the word “our.” The current economic crisis is now an occasion not simply for us to pray correctly about our individual needs, but for us to pray correctly for the needs of all of those around us. The Prayer of Jesus urges us not to pray for “my surplus” or “my scarcity” or even for “my sufficiency.” Jesus takes the Prayer of Agur and infuses it with compassion. The Prayer of Jesus urges us to pray for “our sufficiency.” I recently read a statement by Bob Whitesel.[7] Whitesel said “Missional churches practice 50/50 prayer, 50% for one another and 50% for those outside the church.” The Prayer of Agur leads us to the Prayer of Jesus which is a 50/50 prayer. We not only pray to God for “my” sufficient bread. We pray to God for “our” sufficient bread. Perhaps the greatest fruit that might be borne from this financial crisis is that it pushes us to be a community of people praying not only for our daily bread, but for the daily bread of those around the world.
[1] http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/2009/01/Prayers-For-Jobs-and-Money.aspx.
[2] Tremper Longman III Proverbs (Baker Academic, ?????), 514.
[3] Bruce K. Waltke The Book of Proverbs Chapters 15-31 (Eerdmans, ????), 478.
[4] Bruce Wilkinson, The Prayer of Jabez (Multnomah, 2000).
[5] Michael Schut, Money and Faith: The Search for Enough (Church Publishing, 2009).
[6] Fleer “Lord’s Prayer” 183.
[7] Tweet received 11/10/09.
