Prayer Of Agur Series

Daily, we all ask for one thing or the other from God. Yes, we are free to ask because He said we should ask.

Dear Pilgrim on earth, were for God to come to you as He did to Solomon, and that you should ask whatever you want! It behoves you, and the rest of us, to follow in Solomon’s footstep by not giving Him a catalogue. Daily, we all ask for one thing or the other from God. Yes, we are free to ask because He said we should ask. He is not angry when we fail to ask (as some may claim He is); rather, what happen is somehow described by Joseph Scriven in that precious hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” thus: Oh! What peace we often forfeit,

Oh! What needless pain we bear

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer

All through the Bible, God has been very gracious to us by often taking us back to age eons ago to the prayer rooms of Saints of old to glean from their prayer lives. Such is the prayer of Agur the son of Jakeh as recorded in our opening scripture for this chapter. All those that love God must have the heart of Agur as we can learn from his prayers. Let’s meditate on the lessons together:

First and foremost, our cry in prayer must be directed to the God that answers prayer.

I have asked two things from You (God) . . . . v.7

To You who hears prayer, all flesh comes. – Ps. 65:2

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Jehovah; in the morning I will direct my prayer to You, and I will look up. – Ps. 5:3

Jehovah will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, my prayer to the God of my life. – Ps. 42:8

Surely God has heard; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed is God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me. – Ps. 66:19-20

Our prayers must demonstrate conciseness. Be sure of what you want God to do for you and be direct. He will not hear you because of long prayers.

I have asked two things from You (God) . . . . v.7

Listen to our Master’s advice:

But when you pray, do not babble vain words, as the nations. For they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard. Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him. Therefore pray in this way: Our Father, who is in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil. For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. – Mt. 6:7-13

Hannah wanted a man-child, and she was clear about this in her cry to God:

. . . . O, Lord of Hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me, and not forget Your handmaid, but will give to Your handmaid a man-child. . . . – 1 Sam. 1:11

Jabez got a transformation of his life through the conciseness and candidness of his prayer:

And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that You would bless me indeed, and make my border larger, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, so that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he asked. – 1 Chr. 4:10

Your clamour in prayer must show consistency and compliance with the will of God as declared in His Word, the Bible. Hear Agur pray again:

Remove far from me vanity and a lying word; give me neither poverty nor riches; tear for me my portion of bread. v.8

Imagine someone going to steal asking for God’s guidance. Or for a liar to plead that his sin should not be detected. Oh that we all individually cry, “Lord, remove from me vanity and a lying word”! That is very consistent with God’s will for us. Such heart cry for cleansing will not go unheeded.

Emulate the chi or courage demonstrated in his requests.

First, he confessed his need for cleansing: “remove far from me vanity and a lying word;” and second, his need for comfort: “give me neither poverty nor riches; tear for me my portion of bread.” His plea for cleansing preceded his need for comfort.