Friday 23rd January
Quiet your heart and mind. Consider breathing deeply and exhale slowly. Speak out who God is for you right now.
“Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me."
Psalm 66:16
Ponder: What breath prayer do you often repeat? A breath prayer is a Bible phrase that helps you focus on God in the moment. You intentionally speak this phrase to remind yourself that God is God and He is here.
Scripture
Two things I ask of you, LORD;
do not refuse me before I die:
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.
Proverbs 30:7-9
What do you know about this person’s situation when they are praying this? What does this prayer mean for the person praying? What phrase in their prayer stands out for you? Can this be a breath prayer for you?
Framing our Prayers with Wisdom
When we were married, our officiant unknowingly left out the “for richer" portion of my husband's vows. Because everyone but him noticed, when it came my turn, I really exaggerated the “for richer," phrase, and may have rolled my eyes at, “for poorer." It was very funny, and maybe a little prophetic. We were already poor and about to give our lives on the mission field, although at the time it was supposed to be a four-year commitment. Here we are, sixteen years later, continuing to stand before God asking for our daily bread.Agur’s prayer reminds us where wisdom resides: It is a place of utter trust in the Provider, lest we take our lives into our own hands to meet our own needs and satisfy our own desires. He precedes the request for his daily bread with a plea that God would keep “falsehood and lies" far from him. From this place of protection he can then pray the prayers of his heart.
Lord God, protect our minds from the lies of our hearts, the lies of the world, the accusations of the wicked and those against your purposes. Keep us planted firmly in the adequate provision of Your Kingdom and help us to pray for our lives, our families, and our ministries, a prayer like Agur’s: That You would help us walk in dependence upon You for all our needs, spiritual, mental, physical, financial…so that we and the story of our lives would honor Your Great Name.
AS, Member Care Counsellor, Creative Access Country
Now ask God who you can pray this prayer for. What part of this prayer could you pray for them? You might want to say, “Father, please help [name] understand…."
Kids’ Question: Agur asked God for two things, what two things would you ask God for today?
