Many of us are struggling to make ends meet at the moment. Here, Elizabeth Moore and Audrey Elledge, authors of Liturgies for Hope, share their prayer for when there’s not enough money to pay the bills.
Jehovah Jireh,
we are struggling to trust that You will provide.
As we spend every paycheck on necessities for ourselves and our families,
we are constantly aware of how much we lack.
As we look at what we have versus what we owe,
we don’t see how there will ever be enough.
Our instinct is to double down on worry,
to take matters into our own hands and be greedy with every pound.
Even now, Oh Lord, let us look for ways to be generous.
Let us expect You to provide.
Let us be good stewards of the little we have
so that we may be trusted with sacred riches.
You are the God who nourished the Israelites in the wilderness,
who turned water into wine,
who fed five thousand with a handful of loaves and fish.
We tell ourselves these stories of Your kindness
to remember that You are an abundant provider.
You may not always give in the way that we ask,
but You will always provide exactly what we need,
for even when we are faithless, You remain faithful.
So when our minds begin to spiral into worry
and when it looks like our ends will not meet,
may we cling to Your promise that there will always be enough.
Our oil will not run out.
Our wells will not run dry.
We boldly ask You for provision, Lord,
and we hold You to Your promises.
May we entrust our lives, our bills, and our bank accounts to You.
May we commit our salaries, our investments, and our assets to Your care.
All of it is Yours, Lord, given to us to steward temporarily.
We do not worship our wealth,
nor do we despair at poverty.
Rather, we draw near to You.
We look to the sparrows for guidance.
We consider the lilies for advice.
They do not needlessly toil or worry beyond what they can see.
We lift up our eyes to soaring hills—
from where does our help come?
Our help comes from our Father,
who lavishes us with the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Give us the faith, Oh God, to trust You for what we do not have.
Give us cheerful hearts of generosity, even if our contributions seem meager.
Give us riches that do not run out and hearts that rejoice over treasure in heaven.
Give us lightened loads so we may carry on with simple, joy-filled lives.
Hear us as we cry,
Make us like the sparrows, God! Dress us like the lilies!
Our hearts are stilled by Your reply:
Oh My children, how much more you are to Me than they.
Amen.
1 Kings 17:8–16 • Psalm 105:40–45; 121 • Matthew 6:19–20; 14:13–21; 25:14–30 • Luke 12:22–34 • John 2:1–11 • 2 Corinthians 9:7–8 • Ephesians 3:8 • Philippians 4:11–13, 19 • 2 Timothy 2:13 • Hebrews 13:5 • 1 Peter 4:19
This is an extract from Liturgies for Hope: Sixty Prayers for the Highs, the Lows, and Everything in Between by Elizabeth Moore and Audrey Elledge (SPCK, 2022).
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