Is it OK to Pray For Money?
If you’re in a tough spot financially, looking to God for help should always be our first step. Everyone has a different view of prayer based on what they hear in church, what their parents taught them, the books they’ve read, and their interpretation of the Bible.
Is it okay to pray and ask God for money?
Yes, it’s okay to pray for money. There’s nothing wrong with praying for material things–as long as your heart is in the right place. That means, praying for money is usually fine. It’s not OK when we have the wrong motives. The Bible tells us that God is our provider and answers us when we ask for things.
There are thousands of Bible verses about money, and we need money to buy the basic necessities in life. Not having money is the #1 cause of stress in America, and God knows that we need money to live.
Seeking God needs to be our priority
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
The Bible is clear that we need things in our life outside of God. Some people will say “All you need is Jesus!” but we need a lot of things just to survive. God understands this. He isn’t blind to our needs for food, water, clothes, and a roof over our head.
Even when the world was perfect and it was just Adam and God in the Garden of Eden, God said that it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone. If God was the only thing we needed, there wouldn’t be any material things on the earth.
What about when we don’t have enough money to cover the basic necessities?
God tells us that when we choose to seek Him first, He will supernaturally sustain us. When we keep God as our priority, He will take care of us and give us what we need. We should be praying and asking God for financial provision, but also praying and seeking God Himself. Not just seeking the gift, but the Giver.
Unfortunately, most people don’t do this.
When we’re struggling, we usually blame God for the bad situation and turn away from Him. When we’re struggling with money, our first step is to work more hours or get a second job.
We seek more money instead of seeking God.
It’s rarely our first instinct to seek God more, even though that’s the best solution.
I’ve found that when I’m intentional about seeking God, reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, everything else in my life falls into place.
The Bible instructs us to ask for things
“You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
James 4:2-3 NKJV
This verse in James describes people who are doing whatever they possibly can to obtain something.
They’re going to extreme measures to get something, but they’re not making progress because they’re not asking God in prayer. If we want something, God wants us to ask Him for it.
If you need money, you should be praying and asking God for it. He wants us to rely on Him for all of our needs, big and small.
King David prayed to God for money and success many times. God said that David was a man after His own heart. God isn’t a vending machine. His priority is always to have a relationship with us, and not to simply give us stuff. But, part of a relationship is asking and giving.
“O LORD, save now, we beseech You; O LORD, we beseech You, send now prosperity and give us success!”
Psalm 118:25 AMP
Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, and part of that example prayer was asking God for provision. Jesus said that we should pray to God and say, “give us this day our daily bread.” Telling God to “give me something” is a much more bold way of asking than most people are comfortable with.
We also need to recognize that our intentions are right. If we pray and ask God for money, we need to do it with the right heart and not with selfish motives.
Our goal should be to be blessed so we’re able to be a blessing to other people. People might tell you that you should have just enough money for yourself. That might sound nice, but it’s incredibly selfish. If we only have enough resources for our own needs, we’re unable to do any good.
God wants to send us enough resources so we can live and have enough to help other people in need. God wants us to prosper, but He doesn’t want us to keep it all.
“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
Romans 8:32 NIV
We need to understand Biblical principles
“You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.”
Haggai 1:6 ESV
We can pray and ask God for money, but what if He’s already answered our prayers?
What if the real issue is that we’re ignoring what His word says about money, and wasting the resources God is giving us?
If we live like the people Haggai is speaking to, it won’t matter how much money God sends us. When you have “holes” in your pockets, your money will slip away from you and you’ll be left not having enough.
You need to find a Bible that you understand and spend some time learning what Jesus says about money and good stewardship.
If we’re not generous with what we have, or if we don’t work hard, we shouldn’t expect to have much money. God will answer our prayers for finances, but we also need to ask God for wisdom to manage the money we have properly.
“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty.”
Proverbs 11:24 NKJV
“The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.”
Proverbs 20:4 NKJV
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
Luke 16:10 NIV
Being content with what we have is another biblical principle. Paul writes in Philippians 4 that he learned how to be content. Throughout his life, Paul experienced seasons of lack, and seasons of abundance. In every season, Paul learned how to be content.
“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”
Philippians 4:12 NIV
What does being content mean?
Being content means that you’re not frustrated or angry at God when things aren’t exactly how you want them to be. If you live somewhere with seasons, you know that every year there is winter and summer. In life, no matter who you are, there will be different seasons. Being content means that you’re okay with the current circumstances, even if you don’t want to stay there forever.
It’s like being at a red light. They’re normal for a time, but you shouldn’t want to wait at a red light for 20 minutes. Being content doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to pray and ask God to change your circumstances. Contentment doesn’t mean you want to stay in the same situation forever.
There is a time and season for everything.
Some months will feel like a winter where things seem dead, and other times will feel like spring and summer where there is new life and things are growing.
Being content isn’t a natural feeling. Paul said that he needed to learn contentment.
I can tell you that being content in different seasons isn’t easy, but when you have a strong relationship with God, you can learn how to do it.
