The Prayer of Agur: A 5-Day Devotional by Jay PayleitnerSample

First Repercussion of Living in Extremes

Having asked for neither poverty nor riches but only his daily bread, Agur comments, “Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’”

What’s this all about?

Agur—a bright guy who had a lot going for him—identified the chink in his armor. It was greed. This commentary on his prayer of moderation reveals that he was well aware he had trouble dealing with money. His personal obsession over his cash flow was his Achilles’ heel. He knew that too much or too little could easily distract him. Even destroy him.

To be clear, money itself was not the problem. It was Agur’s emotional attachment to money. That idea foretells the oft-quoted (and misquoted) warning from the New Testament: “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10, nlt).

It’s worth noting that many reference this verse but leave off the first three words. Paul was not saying money breeds evil. Rather, it’s the love of money that causes all kinds of evil. What kinds of evil? While there are no specifics in that passage, it does describe how “some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows” (verse 10, nlt).

Let’s applaud the self-awareness displayed by our friend Agur. He is praying, in essence, “Lord, keep me dependent on You. Having complete trust in You is the sweet spot in which I want to live. I can’t do life without You.”

Agur is not just being humble—he has thought this request through! If he has too much, he knows how he will react. He will think, Maybe I don’t need God after all. This man who contributed a single chapter to the Old Testament was foreshadowing Jesus’ warning in Mark 10:25: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

What was true for Agur is true for most of us. The idolatry that comes from greed is a possible repercussion if we have too much money. In tomorrow’s devotional, we’ll look at the risk of having too little money.

Have you been greedy, covetous, selfishly ambitious, or inclined to put your trust in money instead of God? Confess these sins and ask God to help you place Him back where He belongs—high above worldly wealth and comforts.