Have you ever had one of those prayers that you prayed with regular consistency.  It’s a request coming from a heart that says, “O God if you would just answer this prayer before I die, I will die a happy man.”  It’s passion turned into persistent prayer.  I’ve had seasons where a passion was turned into persistent prayer.  This morning I ran across a prayer like this in Proverbs.  Francis Chan mentioned it in a blog post.  It’s a prayer found in Proverbs 30:7-9.  Here it is…

⁷ O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. ⁸ First, help me never to tell a lie.  Second, give me  neither poverty nor riches!  Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. ⁹ 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.”

Wow.  I wonder how often that prayer is prayed from American lips?  God — two things, just two things — if you would answer these two prayers before I die, I would die a happy man.  God give me character and contentment.  God let me be a truth-teller and don’t let money motivate my actions.  God give me integrity and just enough money to satisfy my needs.  Character and Contentment.

I think I pursue the character part with a measure of passion.  I don’t think I pursue contentment with enough passion.  I wonder how it might change my life if that prayer became my passion?