Two Simple Requests
What would you ask for from God?
Verse of the Day
“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.”
Today’s Devotional
This chapter of Proverbs is authored by a man named Agur, who is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. So clearly Solomon is not the only man of wisdom from this time period. It’s interesting to me that in the first few verses of this chapter, Agur basically says that he is nobody special. He has some things to say about the Holy God, and he does this from a place of humility.
The two requests from today’s passage are petitions that Agur asks to be granted in this earthly life. In verse 7, he states: “Two things I ask of you; don’t deny them to me before I die:” So what are the two requests?
The first is integrity. He asks God to make him a man of truth, far removed from any lies or deception. The second is provision without extremes; neither riches nor poverty. Do you see the beauty of these two requests?
God is a God of truth. But for us, sometimes the truth can be painful. I heard from a friend this morning who had to listen to some really hard truth from her 18 year old son over the weekend. Her choices, as she listened, were to become defensive and/or try to rationalize OR she could be convicted. Being convicted by truth is painful in the moment. But that pain has the ability to lead to healing and God-directed change. If we decide to echo Agur’s request, we need to be prepared for the ways in which God may reveal the lies in our life. Am I a really hard worker, or is the truth that I am relying on my own strength instead of God’s? Am I an extrovert and lover of people, or do I find my worth in that others think of me? Do I worry and plan so that I will be prepared, or is my trust in God not quite strong enough? After being convicted of the truth in the face of any falsehood we have been believing, there will (hopefully) be a peace and contentment that God can and will change the things that I acknowledge and repent. I cannot repent and turn from things if I do not know they are there.
God is a provider. I love the heart of Agur’s request. He asks for only what he needs, lest he be less dependent upon God. I don’t think a lot about the trials of extreme poverty, but I can understand that people in that position may have a really hard time seeing God as a provider. The trials of excess, however…those probably need to be examined. It is so easy to pat myself on the back for the comforts and luxuries that I have. I saved for those things. I am a good steward of what I’ve been given. But…. anything that sends me to a place of depending on my own strengths and abilities is a dangerous place to be. This is where gratitude is an absolute necessity in my life. It’s also vital that I acknowledge where the abilities in my life come from. I find that there is a contentment with being in the middle. Excess of any kind can be a dangerous place. My tendency, however, is to want MORE of everything. I need to recognize that this is a fleshly tendency, and does not promote a healthy dependence on God. Most likely, my desires for excess are purely self indulgent.
Imagine what it would look like if we each requested the same two things of God. We ask to be people of truth: with ourselves, with others, with the image we portray to the world and with our utter dependence on God. Then we ask for only what we actually need for today. No more, no less. And in praying for those things, perhaps we would become more content with the truth and with the simplicity of our actual needs for this day.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What lies do you struggle with in your life? How can you combat those lies with the truth of God today?
How do you struggle with the desire for excess (of anything)?
How can you simplify your needs today?
What would it look like if you prayed for the same two requests of Agur? Would anything be different?