Two Favors of the Lord

"O God, I beg two favors from you;

Let me have them before I die.

First, help me never to tell a lie.

Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!

Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.

For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say,

'Who is the LORD?'

And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God's holy name."

Proverbs 30:7–9

The requests made in this prayer show the wisdom of the author. He models for us here the right attitude and spirit we should have when we approach God. Notice, his attitude isn't greedy. His request isn't for God to 'give me more blessings.' Instead, he's requesting God to just bless him enough to satisfy his needs. It's not wrong for us to request God's blessings for ourselves or others. But we do need to look at our motives for requesting these blessings. Are we asking for more because of greed, pride, or recognition? Are there underlying selfish reasons at work within us? OR Is our request pure, based on a real need? Are we making the right requests with the right kind of spirit? Are we asking for blessings according to God's Will, for His Glory, and to carry on His Work? Is what we are requesting a want or a need?

The wisdom of this prayer models for us the proper attitude for petitioning our LORD. Our prayer requests and motivations behind them expose our heart condition. Like this wise author, Agur, we too can ask God to help us not to lie, to have just enough to satisfy our needs, not to bless us with wealth but yet not to be impoverished. Jesus even said it is harder for a rich person to go to heaven than a camel to go through the eye of a needle (Matthew 19:23-24) . However, at the same time, the author of this prayer recognized the spiritual challenges that poverty could induce...stealing, living unrighteously (in our day, poverty could translate to drugs, alcohol, prost., etc..) Both wealth and poverty can be hazardess to spiritual living.

Though there was a time I naively thought money and success were important goals in life, I now realize that I would be unable to minister to people the way that God has called me to had I been wealthy - or had I been impoverished. I am exactly where God wants me to be and I AM RICHLY BLESSED because of it!

Continue to petition our wonderful God for His blessings for others and yourself. Trust Him, obey Him, and love Him. Then allow HIM to see fit as to how and where to apply those abundant blessings. Watch for His blessings with utmost expectations. He is sure to supply!

Grace and Peace!

In His Love, Cathy