A Prayer for Peace When Finances Feel Tight
By Amanda Idleman
Bible Reading:
"The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it." - Proverbs 10:22
Read or Listen Below:
There is no question that money is not going as far as it once did. With the changes in the economy, inflation, or maybe, like me, your family keeps growing, the financial needs seem to multiply for your household, and the budget feels tight. It feels like I’m always trying to find a new way to “hack the budget” to make more space for all the things we hope to accomplish with the money we have been given. We are scheming about side gigs we can add to the schedule or new budgeting tools that will help us use our money better. Truly, it can feel exhausting.
I can easily let the responsibility of managing our finances stress me out. That stress starts to occupy my thoughts, and eventually, my peace is disrupted because I'm overwhelmed by my family's financial needs. I’m certain you can relate to this. When our peace is rocked because our spreadsheets are unbalanced, it’s time to pray to the Lord and fill our minds with the truth of his word. Sometimes we can’t immediately remedy our situation, and that’s uncomfortable. Sometimes, the financial hurdles we face are caused by negligence. These are often the most challenging times to trust God to provide for us. We must cling to his peace rather than getting swept away by our fears.
One truth we can remember when anxious about our money is that when we are children of God, we are blessed richly because we are his. This world and its troubles will pass away, but we have a secure home God is preparing for us in Heaven. When overwhelmed by the temporary strain of financial needs, we can meditate on God’s now and forever provision.
1 Timothy 6:10 reminds us, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”
In our money-obsessed culture, it can feel unwise to untether ourselves from the weighty responsibility of our finances, but Jesus invites us to trust him with our needs. Even more, we are warned that loving money can pull us away from Jesus and open the door for evil to enter our lives. Embracing God’s peace is one way to keep our hearts pure. Jesus lived recklessly regarding money, which ultimately led to Judas’s choosing to betray him. Judas’s love for cash trumped his love for his Savior. Let that remind us that while we should be responsible and diligent with our resources, our focus on having all we feel we need can pull us away from our first love.
Psalm 37:16-17 says, “Better is the little that the righteous has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.”
The greatest treasure we have is our relationship with Jesus. At the end of our lives, knowing Jesus will matter more than anything else we’ve accrued in our bank accounts. Let’s focus on righteous living and trust that God is good enough to provide everything else we need for this life. Embrace God’s peace and remember that God is our first love and ultimate provider, and we can trust him.
Let’s Pray:
Father, we release to you our fears, concerns, and anxiety as it comes to our finances. We know that you are enough for us. You will forgive us when we don’t correctly manage what you give us. You can guide us when we need to learn new patterns and gain more skills when it comes to financial management. We believe you will bring along the right opportunities to earn what we need as we consider the future. We lay all we have at your feet and ask you to guide us forward. Forgive us for loving our money more than we love and trust you. Let your peace cover us, and let our worship re-center us to focus on your Kingdom before worrying about building ours. Amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Miniseries
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