“It is by grace we have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:5)
Many of us feel the tight bonds of our budget each month. How do we have faith that God will provide for us when we’re struggling to keep our lights on, gas in our car, and our growing children in clothes that fit? What about the ache to reach out to others when we lack the means to do it, or having to tell our kids they can’t join their peers because the budget is maxed out?
Every day we debate ourselves over what to spend our money on. When the incorrect choices we make affect our family, friends, and responsibilities, we can turn to God in prayer… trusting that He is not waiting to mound a side of guilt on top of our conviction. He is waiting help us and guide us… even through the mistakes we continue to struggle with. Use this prayer to confess your challenges with money and ask for God’s help and wisdom!
Prayer for Finances
Father, praise You for saving us by Your indisputable grace. Nothing trumps Your just and loving hand. No poor decision we make, irresponsible purchase, or insurmountable debt can separate us from Your love.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians that there isn’t anything we can do to gain or lose our salvation. The freedom Christ won us on the cross is what it is. Nothing we do or say can add or subtract from His sacrifice… or from who He is.
SEE ALSO: How to Protect Yourself from a Financial Emergency
Without a concrete Rock to stand on, we would drift along thinking that we somehow have the power to trump Your authority. Thank You for reminding us, through Your Word, that we do not. That You love us indisputably and always, whether we are precise accountants or frivolous spenders. You know who we are, and You know our heart’s intentions and our struggles. You are the only one equipped to balance and judge where we are at. You consistently say that we are Yours and remind us, through Your Word, of Jesus’ sacrifice for us.
Father, we confess our financial challenges. In a society that lifts money up to such high importance, it’s extremely hard to battle our mind’s eye each day. Thank You for blessing us with money to spend, and help us to honor You with our choices. Forgive us for mindlessly buying things in dollar sections and store end-caps. Sometimes, there are things that we never knew we needed until the bright discount sticker catches our eye. Strengthen us in those moments to fight our impulses by yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit within us.
Help us to see our finances through Your eyes. You have a purpose and plan for our lives, and every cent we’re blessed with to manage. Stir our hearts to seek Your counsel on everything from buying dessert to a brand new car. Urge us to seek You in Your Word, and prayerfully consider Jesus’ example on this earth. We confess that we don’t often stop to think about what You want for our wallet over what we want. When new trends are just a swipe of the credit card away, stir in our hearts to fight temptation.
Jesus walked the earth simply, as a carpenter… without a flashy lifestyle. His miracles were something money couldn’t buy. Not then, and not now. God’s love and God’s plan look different for all of us, but His love does not rise and fall on a scale. He is everlasting, omnipotent, and sovereign. And He has chosen us. Created us. And called us good.
SEE ALSO: 4 Questions to Ask When Faced with a Job Loss
Our purpose on this earth is to help others. Whether we struggle to part with our money, or have trouble accepting God’s generous blessing, help us to be laser-focused on our conversation with You. When we look around to compare our finances with others, it will always cause our hearts unrest. We don’t have the privilege of knowing people inside and out and from the moment of their creation like You do. We assume wealthy equals satisfied. But only Christ holds the key to all happiness.
Whether we seek careers or possessions to heighten our visibility in society, none will ever satisfy or compare to Jesus’ love. Help us to follow Christ in our daily lives. Prayer is life changing, that You promise us. We lift up the bills that puzzle and scare us to You. Guide us, direct us, and equip us to trust You more and more in the daily direction of our financial lives.
Thank You for providing for us, Father. Just the fact that we are skimming over these words is prove that You’ve provided for another day for us. Bless our finances, and help us to seek You first in everything, each day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
How are you applying this Prayer for Finances to your life and spending? Comment below and recieve encouragement and support from our large praying community!
SEE ALSO: 3 Ways to Know if You Can Really “Afford” Something You Want
Meg Bucher writes about everyday life within the love of Christ on her blog, “Mom” is the most important calling on her life, next to encouraging others to seek Him first… authentically. A dance mom, occasional substitute teacher, and youth worship leader, she can often be found having some kind of an adventure in the small little lake town she resides in with her husband of ten years, two daughters, and their doodle-dog.
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We’ve all been there. The moment where you cross your fingers and pray that the bills won’t bounce. Perhaps you’ve been faced with unemployment and you have no earthly idea how you’ll be able to make next month’s rent payment. Or maybe you’re working two jobs and still can’t seem to get ahead. Financial issues can be extremely stressful and effect so many different aspects of life – both physically and emotionally.
In order to gain better control over your finances, it may be wise to consult a financial advisor who has a better idea of how to manage funds and what type of options are accessible for your specific situation. While you may believe that you have it under control and perceive no other workable solutions, getting a second opinion on your financial situation can prove to make an extreme difference. Along with professional help, it’s important to maintain your sanity with spiritual assistance. You’ll discover a financial expert’s assistance coupled with prayer will provide you with the hope and motivation you will need to overcome just about anything.
The Bible provides Christians with a number of scriptures focused on money, finances and giving. Philippians 4:19 is one of my go-to scriptures to reference when I’m facing financial issues. The verse says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” It’s important, despite the frustrations tough finances brings forth, to know that the Lord is always by your side. He will never give you more than you can manage and will provide the necessities to live a prosperous life. First, place your faith in the Lord and he’ll do the rest.
“Dear Lord, help me to leave my financial worries in Your Hands. Guide me to peace so that I can hear your wisdom. Keep me mindful of my blessings no matter how much or little I may have. Grant me the patience and tolerance necessary to calm my spirit knowing that you have everything under control. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Patience is a virtue that is required within so many elements of life – finances being one of those main elements. From time-to-time God’s children become so bogged down with the endless list of demands our life brings forward. The Lord understands your frustrations and sees firsthand how much work you’re putting in each day. Chin up friend – ask the Lord to grant you the necessary patience to get through this difficult financial period. While it may seem overwhelming, while you’re in the moment, remember that the Lord will always provide you with the resources you’ll need.
And then there are times when we feel need a financial miracle – car breaks down unexpectedly, death in the family, water heater explodes, or an illness. For those times a prayer that asks the Lord Jesus Christ for a miracle is exactly what is needed.
“O Lord, You placed the stars in the sky. You created a myriad of beautiful life. You gave us our breathe and water to drink.
You are a living Lord. You are my Savior, in whom I trust. Please rescue me from this financial crisis, Come redeem this situation. I ask for your almighty hand to come and cover me.
Give me wisdom and strength to stand strong through this storm. I ask for a miracle by your redeeming love. Please restore me, lead me to a safe place, a secure place, a place of financial balance. In you I trust. Amen.”
Jesus Christ, who is your Lord and Savior, understands better than anyone the spontaneity in life – and moreover, how those unexpected times can bring on financial burdens. If you’re going through a difficult time, ask the Lord for a miracle through prayer. A prayer for financial help from God can be a definite game changer and provide you with the resources that you need to get out of the hole. The world is filled with an insurmountable amount of solutions; however, identifying those answers can prove to be very challenging. Through prayer, ask the Lord to give you guidance coupled with the patience you’ll need to discover the financial solution you desperately need. In many cases, you’ll discover a solution that is seemingly been in front of you the entire time. In addition, this difficult financial time could also lead you to wisdom that you would have ordinarily been blind to.
Lastly, one of the strongest messages spiritual messages comes from Matthew. These words redefine the true meaning behind necessity and desire. Often times, we as human beings, become obsessed with the materialistic aspects of things. Sometimes objects appear to be a necessity however, in fact, these items are not a vital aspect of survival.
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Prayer for Finances
A number of people who have gone through Release the Power of Psalm 91, our free mini-course, have written me regarding financial problems:
“How to pray?”
I took the situation to the Lord, asking for advice. “How do you give a simple answer to something that could take a volume to explain in Scriptural terms?”
The Lord kindly returned a simple prayer.
In fact, it was so simple as to be almost embarrassing. (I’m quite wordy, if you haven’t noticed!)
Simple, but powerful! I began to get feedback from folks and gave glory to God for their breakthroughs. Breakthrough came rather quickly considering God is not on our timetable.
Details were somewhat similar:
• Payments that had been held up came through.
• Money denied was released and given over.
• Contested inheritance came through.
We’re talking large sums of money!
Two days ago a friend called me to report that all the financial stress they were in had been settled. The final word had just come from her accountant. She is getting an $8000 tax refund. She is incredulous. She was expecting to have to pay; and, she has never gotten a return before!
I hung up the phone, praising God, and decided I need to share this prayer more broadly. So here we go.
The prayer is based on Zechariah 4:6-7.
Zerubbabel has struggled to build the temple amid all many and means of problems. An angel comes with encouragement and wisdom:
This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
“Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit”
says the Lord of Hosts.
Who are you great mountain?
Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain!
And he shall bring forth the capstone
With shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”
Basically, the message to Zerubbabel and to us is that some problems are beyond our ability to fix, no matter how powerful or talented we may be. Where our power fails, the task is completed by the Spirit of the Lord. He gets credit. We do not! So here is the prayer in all its simplicity:
Lord, this day I take authority over the thief regarding (the situation)
(John 10:10)
And, I shout “Grace, grace!” to this mountain. (Zechariah 4:6-7)
How to pray it:
• Pray it each day, taking authority over the thief for this day.
• Any time during the day when the situation comes to mind, pray the prayer again.
• Pray this instead of fretting.
Part of the power of this prayer:
• Recognizing and confessing that the problem is too big for you, but manageable by God is a big step. You roll the burden of the problem onto the Burden Bearer, just as Jesus instructed. (Matt 11:30)
• As you repeat the prayer instead of allowing fear to grip you, your mind is renewed. You begin to think like God regarding the situation. This increases faith tremendously and when you have faith the size of a mustard seed, “you will say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt 17:20)
Glory to God! This is where we are called to be. If you need more encouragement, read Faith, a good intro to the topic.
For a power tool to help you stay focused on God’s goodness and faithfulness to you, use
No Storm Too Great, a CD set of scripture prayer based on Psalm 91.
www.pray-the-scriptures.com
