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Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God. Proverbs 30:8-9 (ESV)
Taylor Swift. Oprah. Rihanna. Kim Kardashian. These names, among a few others, were mentioned in an article I read recently about the richest women in the world. One can’t help but wonder: how would my life be different if I too was worth over a billion dollars? I will most likely never know for sure what my billionaire lifestyle would look like, but I do know that my heart’s attachment to materialism will never produce true contentment. We all could name case studies proving that high profile celebrities are not immune to depression, addiction, or loneliness and that some of the poorest people on the planet exude the most joy. To paraphrase my pastor: If our sense of peace comes from external circumstances, then it can just as easily be taken away by external circumstances. Consider the profound insight of the sage who wrote Proverbs 30. He writes that he would not ask the Lord, “Give me riches!” otherwise he would deny God. He also would not ask, “Give me poverty!” otherwise he would profane God. What then, should we ask God to give us? “Give us this day our daily bread.” True joy and peace are sourced beyond anything this world can offer. That source is God our Provider, Sustainer, Comforter, and Deliverer. We can trust the Lord to provide for us in a way that produces more contentment than what the top richest women’s net worths combined would bring. He might not always give us what we want in excess, but like Proverbs 30:8 says, He will give us what is needful for us today. He is faithful to rain down “manna” and new mercies every morning. He is faithful to sustain us daily no matter how our external circumstances appear. God, give me neither poverty nor riches. Give me this day my daily bread. I base my contentment in you.
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