Two Prayers to Add to Your New Year’s Prayer List

New years are always filled with new hopes, new dreams, and new expectations. As we begin this new year, I also want you to fill it with a new prayer. There are moments when the truths in Scripture seem to jump off the page as you read them. I found one of those in Proverbs 30.

“O God, I beg two favors from you;
let me have them before I die.
First, help me never to tell a lie.
Second, give me neither poverty nor riches!
Give me just enough to satisfy my needs”
(Proverbs 30:7-8, NLT).

These words were written by Agur, son of Jakeh. I know exactly what you are saying. Who? We often attribute the Proverbs to Solomon, but he didn’t write these words in chapter 30. As we turn the page and face a brand-new year, which I am certain will have its share of challenges and opportunities, I pray the truth in these two short verses would sink deep into your heart. As you begin this new year, add these two prayers to your list.

Two Prayers to Add to Your New Year’s Prayer List

1. Pray for a Life of Honesty

“First, help me never to tell a lie.”

Honesty used to be a great virtue in our country. The adage was George Washington never told a lie, and we knew Abraham Lincoln as Honest Abe. I can’t speak to the honesty of Washington or Lincoln, but true or not, it made for good storytelling and showed how much we valued truth in our society.

We now live in a day where there seems to be less appetite for people who speak the truth. Instead of truth, we want narratives. We want people to tell us what we want to hear. The tendency now seems to be to search out truth that fits our belief system, even if there is no truth in it. The problem with this is God hates when people lie. Remember these verses from Proverbs.

“There are six things the Lord hates—
no, seven things he detests:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent”
(Proverbs 6:16-17, NLT).

Every time someone opens their mouth and tells a lie (this includes me and you) we are doing something God hates.

Why Don’t People Tell the Truth Anymore?

The underlying reason people don’t tell the truth is fear. This fear plays out in a few ways.

Fear of repercussion (what happens to me if I tell the truth)
Fear of rejection (people may not like me anymore if I tell the truth)
Fear of loss (If I tell the truth, it may cost me something I don’t want to give up)

When these fears are present, they cause people to avoid speaking the truth because the consequences seem too great. That’s why what Agur asks God in Proverbs 30 is so profound. He is literally begging God to help him never tell a lie. Can you imagine how the world would change if we just told the truth? Just ponder that for a moment. The lack of truth and transparency in our society, in our homes, and in our churches is hurting us and causing damage that sometimes is beyond repair.

Often, we view the truth with a “logs and specks” mindset. We are quick to point out the lies others tell, but the lies we tell or the lies people we like tell, we gloss over those. Remember, it doesn’t matter if you like the person or not. God hates lying tongues and we should, too.

For this new year, let’s commit to speaking truthfully and honestly. Let’s pray that God would allow us to tell the truth all the time. We don’t want to speak truth in anger with the goal of tearing people down. We want to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15) to build people up. This means there may be some hard conversations that must be had and some difficult things that must be said, but in the long run truth spoken in love is the best thing for us.

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body” (Ephesians 4:25).

2. Pray for a Life of Contentment

The second part of Agur’s prayer is one I have rarely heard anyone pray, including myself.

“Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.”

This prayer is antithetical to the capitalist way we live in America. The demand is always for more. Businesses want more profits. Clients want more returns. Employees want more money. Everything in our culture is designed for more. Grow more. Spend more. Be as big and large as you can be. Sadly, this mindset has even infiltrated the church where many pastors are breaking their necks trying to grow bigger churches, all in pursuing more.

This is the capitalist mindset at work in the church. This doesn’t just affect pastors but members too, as we seek to grow our influence, our bank accounts, our careers, and everything else. Inherently, there is nothing wrong with wanting to grow until it interferes with your relationship with the Lord or with your ethics and morality. This is what Agur was concerned about. Consider the rest of his prayer.

“For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name”
(Proverbs 30:9, NLT).

Agur recognizes a problem that is common to our human condition. The more you have, the more you are prone to forget your need of God. It is easy to see you need God when you don’t have enough, because it forces you to depend on him. Think of it like this.

How much do you pray when you don’t have enough?

How much do you pray when you have more than enough?

When you have too much, you may forget God. Think of all the times you may have prayed Lord enlarge my territory, or bless my finances, or help me make more money. Maybe the prayer should have been, Lord give me enough, so I am satisfied and don’t forget about you.

The Problem with Too Little

However, there are two traps in this verse. The trap of enough and the trap of not enough. Not having enough and the stress associated with it can cause you to do things that may dishonor God. Let me paint a picture for you.

One of the biggest motivators for crime is poverty. A person who is hungry may steal to get food, but a person who is full will most likely not have the same inclination. When you lack something, you will often look for ways to get it and sometimes you choose the quickest method possible – even if it means cutting corners or being dishonest. Agur is asking God not to let him fall into this trap, either.

The problem with pursuing wealth is you may never have enough, and this can become a distraction. The problem with poverty is you don’t have enough, and this can become a distraction as well. Neither is a great place to be for being and doing what God desires you to be. Many have left the faith because of the deceitfulness of riches, and many have struggled in the faith because they don’t have enough to eat.

Final Thought

As you look at this new year, pray that God would give you exactly what you need. Not too much, so you forget about him, and not too little that you dishonor him. When you walk in this place, you will find contentment. Most of all, you will prioritize your relationship with God over any material possessions. When you put him first in this manner, he will provide everything you need.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

Photo credit: Unsplash/Fa Barboza

Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.