Living in God’s Abundance
As we enter October, we also enter into our season of stewardship. Except – as I hope we all know – stewardship is not just a season; it’s a year-round, life-long commitment. We are entrusted by God with everything we have. We are stewards of God’s blessings, and called to be a blessing to others.
Each Sunday, most of us pray a particular prayer in unison as we worship together. One of the lines goes like this: “Give us this day our daily bread.” Of course, this comes from The Lord’s Prayer.
We don’t have to be Bible scholars to imagine that Jesus is recalling the days in the wilderness when manna came from heaven on a daily basis. You never got too much (or it would spoil), and you never got too little. God provided just enough. It’s also possible that Jesus was reminding his faithful friends to recall the words of Proverbs 30:8, “...give me neither poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread.”
The point is this: the legitimate prayer — the legitimate ask — is for “not too little;” but it is also for “not too much.” Most of us never think about bread (or money) this way. “Not too little” we understand. We are always very sure to let God know we don’t want a shortage. However, praying to God for “not too much” is something many of us have never tried. We are less inclined to ask God to make sure there’s no surplus. “Give me neither poverty nor riches…” is perhaps the authentic prayer of the faithful Christian.
It seems when we pray about “too little,” our minds are drawn to all the places we have too little. The more we focus on it, the less we see in our lives. This results in anxiety, dissatisfaction, and grumbling. On the other hand, when we pray about “too much,” our minds can be drawn to places where we have an abundance and could live comfortably with less than we have. This results in both gratitude and an opportunity to use those resources for Kingdom work.
This may not be a popular approach, but consider praying for “just enough.” Consider the charge to be good stewards of God’s abundant blessings and to be a blessing to others. Just like Goldilocks, who needed porridge, chairs, and a bed that were “just right,” so too do we need “just enough.” And God provides.