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The Prayer of Agur Made Simple

by Kimani Upshur, M.Ed.

"Give me neither poverty nor riches" — the prayer of a wise man. This Scripture-first guide walks through the prayer of Agur, son of Jakeh (Proverbs 30:7-9), phrase by phrase: two requests prayed before death — remove vanity and lies far from me, and feed me with food convenient for me — lest riches make him deny the Lord or poverty drive him to steal. Thirteen chapters cover who Agur was, the full text of his prayer, the urgency of "before I die," the love of truth, the appointed portion, the wisdom of enough, the danger of riches ("Who is the LORD?"), the danger of poverty (profaning God's name), Jesus teaching the same prayer ("Give us this day our daily bread"), Paul's echo ("I have learned to be content"), Agur's question "What is his son's name?" answered in Jesus Christ — Lord and Savior, Son of God and Son of Man — Trinitarian prayer to the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit, a practical daily pattern, a closing prayer, and reflection questions for every chapter.