A Prayer for Finances
By Emma Danzey
Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Finances are the number one stressor in many people's lives. It can start out as a concern to provide or to have enough to live, but then can easily turn into greed if we let it. Just like Matthew 6:24 points out, we cannot worship God and money. We are called to glorify the Lord in all things, including finances. However, the enemy knows our weaknesses and our temptation to idolize dollars. We must be on our guard to watch our hearts and protect them from the trap that so many fall into.
Whether we are tempted with not having enough or having excess, we are called to keep our hearts in check through Christ. One of the most common traps of idolatry to fall into is the love of money. Anyone is susceptible to this, so we must be aware and put on the armor of God to withstand the attacks from the enemy. Whatever your struggles when it comes to finance, let’s take some time to bring it before the Lord in prayer.
Let's Pray:
Dear Lord,
We praise You for Your provisions. We recognize that all we have comes from You. In Psalm 24:1, You tell us that the earth is Yours and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to You. We thank You for being our Creator. Thank You for giving us Your great love.
God, please forgive us for seeking money as our security. It cannot buy salvation, only Jesus gives us freedom. We pray that you would realign our hearts and perspectives in any way that they need to be corrected. Remind us that You are sovereign and that just as You provide for the ravens, You will take care of us too. Help us not to be anxious but to seek first Your kingdom.
This world is full of uncertainty, whether that be the stock market, inflation, or career struggles, but in the unknowns, help us to put our full faith in You as our Provider. Help us to be faithful to work hard and be faithful to You because You have been so faithful to us. Protect us from the temptation to fear.
Proverbs 23:4-5 says, “Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle.” We pray against the temptation to overwork and place our hope in money. Help us to remember what has eternal value and impact. Protect us from a life of chasing riches; instead, give us the endurance to chase after You.
God, we pray against unfruitfulness in our lives. Mark 4:19 says, “But the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.” We pray that we would not be worried with the things of this world but with eternal things. Help us not to be deceived by the world, but be filled by Your Holy Spirit and live out of the fruit of the Spirit.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 says, “Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” Father, protect our hearts from loving money. Guide us to be fully satisfied in Your love for us. Give us spiritual eyes to see what is significant and what is not. Help us to have discernment in financial decisions. May we honor You with our choices. Give us the courage to trust in You over our own material possessions. Help our hearts not to be so wrapped up in the physical that we miss the spiritual.
God our Provider, our Jehovah Jireh, we love you and thank You for being all that we need and caring about every detail of our lives. We surrender to You and entrust our finances to You for Your glory and purposes. Amen.
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign/BethanyPyle
Emma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com
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Originally published Monday, 18 July 2022.