As an American Christian, it can be difficult to reconcile the American dream with the humility that Jesus has asked us to retain. In this proverb, the author asks God to not give him more than he needs but not less than he needs either. Why? because poverty can lead to desperation which can lead to sin. However, riches can lead to being haughty and the feeling of “self-sustaining”. The author wants only his ‘daily bread’. Jesus even said it himself in Matthew 19:24: “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”.
American Christianity has quickly taken up what is often called the “Prosperity Gospel”, which, in a nutshell, says that it is God’s will that we all be rich in material wealth. This is based on the fact that God is in charge of all things, owns all things, and that he wants us to be ‘full and running over in abundance’. There are many verses which they use to support this but I will not get into that because that is not the purpose of this post. I only bring this up to show the condition and the mindset of many American Christians because the Prosperity Gospel lines up with the idea of the “American Dream”.
I think that as American Christians, we struggle with the idea that it may not be God’s will for us to be rich and to live in abundance. We think that it is a bad thing to live just wealthy enough to not be in poverty but not wealthy enough to be rich. We want God to give us what we want and we don’t want to receive what God has intended for us because “its not enough” and does not fit our image of the “American Dream”.
Let us, the American Church ponder and pray about why we serve God and what we expect for God to provide in terms of economic wealth.
I in no manner am I saying that being rich is a sin. Nor that God wants us all to live in poverty. However, I am saying that we should listen to Jesus’ words when he talked about how riches can prevent a person from being saved because of the evil that the love of money created in their heart.
May God supply all our needs according to his riches in glory by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior (Philippians 4:19).
Omar's Thoughts 