Proverbs 30:7-9 “Two things I ask of you, O Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
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.”

If the attribution is right, then Agur son of Jakeh was a wise man. We human beings have a strong tendency to think, when things are going well, that we don’t need help from anyone. That can lead to all sorts of problems, both in interpersonal relationships and spiritually. The simple fact of the matter is that everything in existence is totally dependent on the will and grace of God. He spoke it all into being (Genesis 1) and He could extinguish it with equal ease. When we forget that, we fall into all sorts of traps because of the lies of the devil. Recently there has been a spate of revelations about the abuse of the weak by the powerful. This is nothing new, but has been going on since the dawn of history. The course of wisdom is humble recognition that God is real and we are accountable to Him. The Japanese, for all their polytheism, have a very accurate aphorism: “We don’t live, but we are caused to live.” The moment God removed His support, anything and/or everything in the universe would cease to exist. The better we grasp that, the more grateful and obedient we will be toward Him. I think that is the true meaning of “The fear of the Lord” that the Old Testament mentions so frequently. It is indeed ironic that when we are materially blessed we tend to forget that. Like Agur, we need to remember it, in order to live genuinely successful lives.

I have as much of a tendency to ignore God as anyone. My mother had an expression that is very picturesque: “Independent as a hog on ice.” In other words, totally out of control. The very abundance of abilities with which God has blessed me have caused me to be proud, thinking and feeling I could go it alone. I learned quite a while back that I couldn’t get along without God, but I have been slower to realize how much I need other people. Sometimes I feel like I would like to live on a desert island with just my wife! Thankfully, she is one of the most social, genuinely loving people on earth, and she has taught me a lot about getting along with others. That said, I am still much more comfortable giving help than receiving it, even though I get tired of helping others! At the moment I’m running into computer problems, which is an appropriate blow to my pride because I have worked as a computer consultant. I need to recognize my total dependence on God in every area of my life, thanking Him for His grace and not complaining about the trials/training exercises He puts me through. I genuinely desire to be fully useful to Him, and I need to trust Him with whatever it takes to make me that way.

Father, thank You for Your grace toward me, and toward us all. Help me receive Your grace in all humility and transmit it unstintingly to those around me, so that Your will may be done in and through me, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!