009 How Regular Men Pray, Regularly

Good Monday Morning! The But Grow in Grace newsletter is 9 weeks old and our audience is growing quickly 📈. 

So let me re-introduce myself - for those that I may not have met yet (big plans for 2025, I may be in your city someday).

Last week I turned in my resignation from the corporate world as a financial analyst for the 2nd & final time 🙏🏾. I’m also a pastor, husband for 21 years, father of a high school junior, basketball trainer, avid but not good golfer, long distant caregiver to elderly parents over 900 miles from where I live…I could keep going but point is, I am a regular guy, pulled in (too) many directions, with enough stresses for 2 or 3 lifetimes, I am confident and uncertain on the same day - I’m regular. So what I share in this newsletter are passages and Men of the Bible that have made/make a difference in my life…

2 weeks ago I attended The Master’s Seminary’s Men of the Word Conference in Virginia and I want to share from the verses of Proverbs 30:7-9 that Pastor H.B. Charles shared and that’ve made me think about my own prayer life the last few days.

In Proverbs 30 after correctly realizing his overwhelmingly inadequacies compared to God, Agur asks God for 2 things - before he dies…

1. Remove falsehood and lying from me

2. Give me neither poverty nor riches

Agur then clarifies he just wants what he needs, “feed me with the food that is needful for me”. Agur doesn’t want a bunch of stuff in his life that require him to keep up lies & falsehoods about who he is. He also doesn’t want to be overly controlled by the “pulls” of being rich or broke. He just wants the Lord to feed him with what he needs.

Apparently he’s at the end of life and realizing his real need and what’s important and that becomes his prayer.

Here’s why: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. 

The reason he wants the fake removed from his life and to be neither rich or poor is because if he had too much he would deny the Lord…at the same time too little he would steal or cut corners and profane (curse) the name of God.

I could write a whole book of my personal feelings and lessons on his words ✍🏼but in short, Agur, this regular guy is sharing his prayer to the Lord for balance. 

He’s reached a place in his life, where he craves alignment with God far more than a life of more things that pull him deeper into falsehood or the grip of going after rich or getting out of poor. I hope you see your own life in Agur’s words.

Is what shapes you - good for you?