A prayer for financial provision inspired by these lines from John Piper's closing message at the 2014 Desiring God Pastors Conference: "Jesus says it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Why would you want riches? Why make it harder?"

Heavenly Father,
Give me neither poverty nor riches,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, "Who is the Lord?"
or lest I be poor and steal
and profane your name.

Give me just enough, Lord, to nourish my family,
to pay my debts
and fulfill my obligations
and keep my promises
and invest in your work according to your will,
in supply of all my needs,
in accordance with the riches of Christ Jesus.

If you should say "no" and give me poverty,
grant me contentment and purest hope
and a deeply settled resolution to the sufficiency of your grace.
If you should say "no" and give me riches,
lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil,
and do not give me more than I can bear in service to your kingdom.
If you send increase of my riches,
send increase of my capacity for generosity,
and discipline me from greed,
covetousness,
miserliness,
and inhospitableness.
Lord, grant me some of my material wants, but not too many,
not one more than would distract my joy and treasure from you,
if that be none of my wants or all of them.
I pray your will be done,
even if my will turn out a disappointment to my heirs.
In Christ's name,
Amen.

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