“Sign up for an account that will grow with your money,” a poster urged on my most recent trip to the bank.
The brightly colored text went on to detail exactly how their services could help clients reach financial goals—and, I have to say, it was a compelling pitch.
After all, most of us have money goals of some sort. We want to make more, save more, invest more…and that’s good. We’re wise to build safety nets of provision for ourselves and our families.
Yet, as we pursue these goals, we have to sort through a tangle of advice on what we should be reaching for and how we ought to get there. Internet gurus, financial professionals—and, yes, even bank posters—share thoughts on the topic. But in Proverbs 30, Agur (one of the writers of Proverbs) gives us a big picture perspective to keep in mind through it all:
He says:
“Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30: 8b-9, WEBBE)
I don’t know about you, but reading that both challenges and encourages me. It prompts me to consider two questions—and I invite you to consider them, as well:
Question #1: Who do we consider to be our source of provision?
When we look at the financial needs in our lives, sometimes we feel a tremendous weight on our shoulders. If there’s money to be made or a need to be met, we assume it’s entirely our job to make it and to meet it.
But look again at what Agur said in verse 9: “Feed me with the food that is needful for me…” This is a prayer. Instead of shouldering the burden of his needs alone, Agur laid his needs before God and looked to Him for provision.
Why? Well, I believe it’s because he knew two things about God:
First, God knows the needs of His people. When Agur asked to be fed with the food that was “needful” for him, he was acknowledging that God both knew what his needs were and knew how to meet them in the best possible way.
We should all be encouraged by this truth. Because God is intimately involved in our lives and has an eternal, wise perspective, He knows—even more than we do—what is “needful” for us.
Second, God provides for His people. Agur prayed to the Lord, “feed me…” Now, this may seem like a bold thing to pray, but Scripture gives us reason to follow suit.
One of God’s names is Jehovah Jireh, which means “The LORD will provide.” He has provided people a way of salvation in Jesus and He has also provided for people’s physical needs, time and time again.
For example, Deuteronomy 8:3 recounts how God miraculously fed helpless people with manna in the wilderness. And Deuteronomy 8:18 reminds us that, even when we’re working hard, really “it is He who gives you the power to get wealth.” (WEBBE)
So, as we seek to reach financial goals and to meet our real-life needs, we should remember who our source of provision really is. It’s not us. It’s God. We can call on Him to provide for us and through us.
Question #2: What is our reason for seeking more provision?
You know, culture tells us to chase “more—always more” and I’ve fallen into that line of thinking before. After all, having more than enough seems like a secure and worry-free place to be. But I am so struck by what Agur prayed for here. He just asked for “enough.”
He wanted neither poverty nor riches—only for God to give what was needful. And in verse 9, he explains his reasoning. He says: “Feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full, deny you, and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ or lest I be poor, and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
It’s not that Agur is saying statuses like poverty and wealth are all bad and always lead to sin. That isn’t true. Scripture gives many examples of how God can bring good from both kinds of circumstances.
But Agur recognized that having “plenty” sometimes tempts people to feel self-sufficient. And being desperately poor sometimes tempts people to take matters into their own hands. And he didn’t want either kind of self-reliant life.
Instead, his desire was a life of daily dependence on God—a life where he simply took from the Lord’s hand his daily portion and then thanked Him for His good gifts.
It makes me wonder: are our motives in line with this?
As we pursue wise financial goals, are our hearts ultimately depending on God to give what is “enough” for us?
Or are we pursuing financial goals so we won’t feel as needy in prayer—so we won’t have to be so dependent on God for every little thing?
Where is our trust? And what are our hearts depending on? This is what matters most.
You know, the poster I saw in the bank that day advertised “an account that grows with your money…” and that serves its purpose. But this passage points us to something far more dependable: a God who goes with us through all of life.
He is present at every turn and is sufficient for every need. He invites us to lay down our fears and secures us in ways a safety net never could.
So, as much as we invest financially, let’s invest in our relationship with God most of all. We can trust that the returns will be exactly what is needful.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my reading plan: “Wisdom from Above” which covers Proverbs, Ecclesiastes & Job. To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
©2024 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
