Enough

I have been listening to a great new album recently: Shaun Groves Third World Symphony. One track, Enough, based on Proverbs 30:7-9, is my personal favourite. Take a moment to click here and listen to it now. (You may need to scroll down a bit to get to it).

The first time I saw Proverbs 30:7-9 written inside the cover of a Bible of a young Nepalese pastor, I had to look it up to check it out for myself. I couldn’t believe it could be a Bible verse – it went so against the years of preaching I had heard about asking for and expecting riches.

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 dishonour the name of my God.

At the time, I couldn’t pray that prayer. Surely it would go against any riches God wanted to give me?

Fast forward seven years and we live by faith, in Lima, Peru, working amongst the poor. Each month we have no idea where the money will come from to cover our expenses or to cover any extras (e.g. thieves robbing US$2000 of electrics out of car etc…!) Sometimes large amounts of money come in unexpectedly and we feel excited that we may be able to buy something special, but nearly always, some large unexpected cost comes in, and we are left with just enough.

But ´just enough´ is such a western way of looking at it!!

If we have $5 to spare at the end, then God has actually blessed us with more than enough!

I love the fact that God’s provision so often confirms our decisions to do or buy something we have been prayerful about. It is hard on the western ‘I want it now’ mentality, but so rich in blessing when God does provide so exactly.

God never promised to provide for tomorrow’s banquets, but he is so faithful in providing today’s bread.

Now, I love the prayer of Proverbs 30:7-8 because it keeps my eyes on Him.

It means our finances are not about my comfortableness, but relationship.

Are you in a place where you can pray the prayer of Proverbs 30:7-8?

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Here are some other interesting links I have seen recently on the poverty riches issue:

http://networkedblogs.com/nwaVD

http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/projecting-poverty-where-it-doesnt-exist

Teaching me to trust

I’ve asked you to teach me to trust you:

I awake all stuffy and full of cold.

A tea to relieve the grogginess

Burns a scar into my arm

I cry bitterly

After screaming chillingly

And you use it to teach me to trust you?

I know your kingdom works

Upside down and inside out

I know your ways are not mine

But I marvel at how a burn

So carefully orchestrated

Can be used to teach me to trust.

Is it true you are behind the ugly beautiful?

It is true you use pain and suffering to show us grace?

The more I suffer

The more I feel it is your grace

It has to be

Because it is so beautifully orchestrated

Not a drop of steaming tea

On the babe nursing at my left

(The right side

A direct hit

On a newborn face)

(Ten minutes before;

A harsher burn)

(A different angle;

A more sensitive part of my body.)

You showed me love

In the form of community

The baby held

My arm mopped

A wet rag wrung out

Reapplied

A little boy´s heart

Desperate to make up for the mistake

Bringing me satsumas

Vitamin C

‘Aids in healing’

Reads sign on fridge

Is it true that you are behind the ugly beautiful?

Is it true that you use pain and suffering to show us grace?

The more I suffer

The more I feel it is your grace

It has to be

Because it is so beautifully orchestrated