Proverbs 30-31
When eating, it takes our bodies roughly twenty minutes to register that we are full. During this window, it’s still easy to overindulge—residual hunger hormones convince our brains that we aren’t yet satisfied. Giving in to a few extra bites can become a few extra pounds, and even small overindulgences, even in the short-term, can harm our well-being.
In many ways, we are wired to live beyond contentment. We accumulate extra clothes, extra cars, and extra rooms. While I have certainly faced seasons where I have battled with “not enough,” more often, I’ve wrestled with “too much.” And the more I feed desire, the more ravenous it becomes. When indulgence becomes a habit, our appetite grows louder while our awareness of God’s provision grows quieter under the noise of stuff-shifting.
To be content at the dinner table is to put the silverware down and wait. It requires restraint—a virtue that feels increasingly radical in every facet of living. As we saw with Solomon’s story yesterday, prosperity can easily deceive us into thinking we are self-sufficient. In today’s reading, Agur’s prayer in Proverbs 30 echoes a more familiar prayer taught by Jesus to His disciples. Daily bread is the quiet miracle of enough. [1 Kings 17:13-16; Matt 6:9,10]
“Two things I ask of you, Lord; do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God.” (Proverbs 30:7–9)
Wisdom is a gift that Solomon received, and God still gives generously to those who expectantly ask (Jam 1:5-8). Contentment, too, is a gift from the Heavenly Father—who provided manna in the wilderness, the Bread of Life in Christ, and continues to meet our daily needs. Contentment stretches far beyond finances or hunger. It reaches into our identity, our roles, our relationships, even our location and life stage. Paul’s famous declaration—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil 4:11:13)”—wasn’t about achievement , but learning contentment even within prison walls, fully surrendering the perks of his previous identity.
We do not live to satisfy our cravings. To live beyond contentment is to collect moldy manna, an untrusting load that serves no purpose. Instead, we are invited to live as shrewd and savvy worshipers: disciplined with our efforts, generous with our resources, and joyful in simplicity (Proverbs 31). In this way, we show ourselves devoted and dependent—not on what we can store up, but on the One who supplies. If we are to live in excess, let it be in the goodness of a Father who meets every need and has satisfied our debt with the death of His Son and whose grace is sufficient for every demand.
-Aaron Winner
Reflection Questions
- Are there instances/areas when you have lived, or are living, beyond contentment? Do you have a collection of moldy manna?
- What do you think the secret of contentment is?
- How does Proverbs 30:7-9 differ from “worldly wisdom”?
Seek Grow Love 