daily bread

I’ve written before about my interest in the topic of enough. How much food is enough? How much money? How much house, or car, or leisure? There’s a point where too much is bad, but it’s hard to be satisfied with just enough.

That’s why Proverbs 30:8-9 is so thought-provoking to me. It says, “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the Lord? ' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”

I love the idea of only wanting enough, but I have to admit in the desert I’d have been one of those people who tried to save some manah for the next day. I want a reserve. Sometimes the reserve I want is pretty big.

This proverb clearly points to the dangers, though. If I get so much that it feels secure, will I rely on God’s providence, or think I’ve got it covered? If I don’t really have enough, if I run out tomorrow, what sort of desperate or even illegal thing will I do to try to provide?

The question of enough has some pretty pointed spiritual implications. Do I trust God? Really? Enough to let him worry about my future? Or do I really trust my 401(k) and Roth IRA? Do I think my paycheck is providing for me, or do I still believe in Providence?

It seems a weird pray to pray specifically not to get rich, but that’s what this Proverb recommends. Maybe I have to start praying that way. I think I’ve forgotten a lot of what depending on God really is.