This is going to be slightly triggering and I have tried to stay within the confines of balance and accuracy but then there are reasons why you pray so much but are still poor.
I hear a lot of believers that go to pray and all the time they are praying for financial blessings but they are never getting it.
Personally, I start to doubt them and I wonder why they do not feel bad that their prayers for financial blessings are not being answered.
It now feels like because these answers are not forthcoming, some people now even preach that you cannot be wealthy as a Christian – making suggestions like God does not guarantee prosperity and that we will not all be rich.
If that is what you want to believe, great. I am not here to convince you otherwise. This post is actually for those who are curious enough to ask why they keep praying for God to bless them financially but it is not happening.
We need to establish that God does not hide His desire to bless His children.
See what the Bible says:
“It is the Lord your God who gives you power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18).
The scripture even says that God delights in the prosperity of His servants.
However, you need to know that the reason you become prosperous as a believer is not so that you can drive the latest car or eat what you crave when you want.
It is for stewardship.
Yes, God views wealth as a tool, a tool to advance His kingdom on the Earth and not for any form of fleshy gratification. If God sees money like this, how comes He is not giving us some of it?
You can already guess the first reason which is that a lot of the people asking for this money do not know why they should have it.
I can simply ask right now that if you got a huge amount of money – say $10 million – you are likely going to spend around 60% of the money on personal needs before you remember the kingdom of God.
That’s by the way though. These are five of the reasons why you pray so much but are still broke:
1. You Confuse Prayer for Planning
A lot of times, we just think that after praying, we are done. Now our bank accounts will flow with money.
No, it does not work that way.
We pray to get revelations and directions on how to make money and when we are done, we get to work. Planning is what puts the things we have received into motion.
Many pray for open doors but do not realize that they have to turn the knob.
Prayers should lead you to the drawing board to structure and plan. I wish I could show you my jotter so you see the ideas on how to make money that I have scribbled down and they all came while I was praying.
From praying, I got the idea, then crafted out the plans, then began to work on them. That is the life cycle.
2. You Are Not Ready to Work or Start Small
This is the bane of many believers and it is nothing but pride.
Some believers keep waiting for “divine opportunities” while despising small beginnings.
But God often hides provision in process — in jobs, ideas, and skills that seem too small to matter. They may look small but therein could lie a great harvest.
The Bible admonishes us that:
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
You cannot expect heaven to bless the efforts that you do not make. You have to take steps, no matter how small, and watch God turn it around.
3. You Have Faith but No Financial Wisdom
This was my problem for long.
Without wisdom, you are only a time bomb waiting to go off.
Yes, faith moves mountains but the Bible lets us know that it is wisdom that builds the house.
God can give you the resources that you need for the success of that business but if you do not have financial discipline and wisdom, you will lose it all.
You cannot expect God to multiply what you mismanage. Even Jesus told them to gather the remaining baskets after He fed the crowd because nothing should be wasted.
4. You Are Praying for Wealth but Without Any Purpose
This is what I began talking about earlier.
You are asking God to bless you but He looks at you and does not see a tangible reason to bless you. God wants to be sure that when He blesses you, the blessings bring Him glory.
Scrutinize the why behind your prayers for financial prosperity and you will see that there is nothing in it that’s designed to give God glory. Absolutely nothing.
Remember I started by saying that when God gives you wealth He does so because He is arming you with a tool to advance His kingdom and to reach out to others around you.
If it turns out that you are praying for a financial blessing to prove a point to your neighbor, or to that ex that left you, then you are not asking for the right reasons.
And God will not be obligated to respond to you.
5. You Ignore the Principles Attached to Prosperity
There are principles to wealth and it surprises me that unbelievers know them and practice them.
Let me walk you through some of these principles so your mind is awakened to them:
- Working diligently
- Managing resources wisely
- Giving generously
- Having integrity
- Seek wisdom for business growth and financial independence
- Invest your profits
- Honor God with your wealth
These are some of the principles to make wealth and they are captured in the Bible. You cannot be violating these principles and expect God to bless you financially.
I hate to say this but then I have seen a lot of lazy believers. My God. Believers are so lazy and they often back it up with it is the grace of God that makes for wealth.
Something as simple as being hardworking and learning to manage your resources can be a major shift in your life.
Final Thought
Praying for financial prosperity is great but you have to work to bring that prayer to pass. It is not every time that poverty could be God’s dealing for your life. Sometimes you are the one keeping yourself poor.
So fix up in the areas where you know you are lacking:
- Start working on the ideas God has given you
- Stop being lazy
- Learn how to manage your finance
- Learn how to invest money – I highly recommend listening to Dave Ramsey.