Dave's Diary

Prayer

Father in Heaven, thank You for Your provision day by day. Please grant me the daily bread of Your Word this morning as I seek Your face in Scripture and Prayer. Amen.

Reading

Read Proverbs 30 slowly and prayerfully. Notice which verse particularly jumps out at you. Re-read that verse a few times, slowly. Write it down in your journal. Try to memorise it so that you can reflect on it without having to read from the page.

Prayerful Reflection

Now take that Proverb and think about your life at the moment. Is there a situation in your life to which that Proverb applies. Ask the Lord how this verse from His Word is telling you to live out His wisdom in that situation. Make notes in your journal.

A Devotional Thought

Proverbs 30: 
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 dishonour the name of my God. (NIVUK)

Although the author of this section of Proverbs, Agur, says that he prays for two things, they are actually deeply interconnected. He longed to avoid all falsehood and lies, but specifically the falsehood and lies related to wealth and poverty. Both wealth and poverty can be very deceptive. Wealth might easily convince us that we do not really need to trust in God – after all, we have everything we need. Poverty, on the other hand, might convince us that it does not do us any good to trust the Lord, to keep His laws and to walk in His ways.

And so, desperate neither to disown nor dishonour God, Agur prayed for something on which Jesus later put his stamp of approval – daily bread. Like all who are truly wise, Agur longed above all else to be pleasing to God, and he believed that having enough for each day – nothing more and nothing less – was the best way to keep him on that path. So that is what he prayed for.

How remarkably different that is from the way many of us operate. We strive for more than enough, and we even pray for more than enough. Many churches and “ministries” have built themselves on the alluring false promises of wealth, and have gained a following because of the fallen and fearful human desire for the “security” of having more than enough, rather than trusting the Lord.

In truth, all Christ-followers need to search our hearts and minds for the seeds of this desire. After all, our Lord Jesus made a major issue of this too. He said, in relation to wealth, in Matthew 6: ²⁴ ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.“; and, in relation to poverty, He said: “³¹ So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” 

Prayer

Lord, I confess how often I struggle to truly trust you in relation to material well-being, finances and security. Please empower me to do so, and please give me today my daily bread. Amen.