Middle of the Road

Two things I ask of you, O 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

I'm going to give two perspectives on this scripture; one from Matthew Henry-16th century and one from Beth Moore-current.

He prays that he may be kept from every condition of life that would be a temptation to him. He prays against the extremes of abundance and want. He does not pray against poverty or riches absolutely, as in themselves evil, for either of them, by the grace of God, may be sanctified and be a means of good to us; He hereby intends to express the value which wise and good men have for a middle state of life, and, with submission to the will of God, desires that-that might be his state, neither great honour nor great contempt. (Matthew Henry)

Most of us are already there, in that nice, safe place where we depend on God every single day just to make ends meet. If that stack of bills helps you never forget He is God, praise Him for it! If that paycheck keeps you from dishonoring His name, Hallelujah! You're right where you belong-within the secure walls of self-control, where excess is an unwelcome guest.

He knows our needs, He knows our vulnerabilities. He knows what we can endure....yet remain faithful. All things are His to give and His to take, but never ours to pursue. Ours is to gladly receive and gladly return. (Beth Moore)

That's where I am now; middle of the road and it does feel good. When I read this scripture it struck me that the prayer for neither great riches or great poverty was not made for personal comfort. The intent was strictly on honoring God in all aspects of life. I've made a lot of prayers recently--you know the kind--thrown up to the heavens so your life won't be inconvenienced. Wanting circumstances and the stars to be aligned so your day will run smoothly. This verse brought me to the realization to be more purposeful with my intent when I pray.

I get to stay home and just clean today--do a little baking. I call these my June Cleaver Days--love them!