Proverbs 30:7-8 “Two things I ask of You, O LORD; do not refuse me before I die:  Keep falsehood and lies from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”

What kind of prayer is that? That is easy for someone like Solomon or Bill Gates to say, but isn’t it more like “SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!”? Solomon goes on to say just “…give me my daily bread.” (v.8) Why would that be his request, his prayer? Don’t you think that it might be nice to have a little more than your daily bread; what you need for each day, every day, one day at a time? What would be so enjoyable about having only your needs met each and every day and not have a little extra; maybe even a lot extra? Why would Solomon pray like that? He goes on to give us his reason in v.9 “Otherwise, I may have too much and disown You…” Don’t you think that you might like to give that a try? Maybe Solomon might have had a problem with that, but you think that you could handle it just fine. The rest of that verse says “…and say, “Who is the LORD?'” How is that possible? Why would Solomon say something like that? Could it go that far or get to that point? Why pray that way Solomon?

Because that is the way that the people of Israel rolled. In Deuteronomy 32 you will read of the goodness of God and how He remained faithful and provided for the people, and they ended up forgetting about Him.  That was a regular pattern of God’s people, and quite honestly, we are no different. In Hosea 13:6 He says:  “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot Me.” The reality of the matter is that even when God provided His people their daily bread as He did in the wilderness, they forgot about Him.

Why does that happen?  Why does it happen to us? It does happen to us, you know? We might call it “apathy.” Webster defines apathy as a “lack of feeling or emotion” or “a lack of interest or concern.”  “Indifference.” Another way to describe apathy is “I don’t care.”  Not “I don’t know” but “I don’t care.” It says “I am satisfied with my current situation and I don’t feel like doing anything.”  Does that strike any nerves? Could apathy or indifference describe the Church today? Could it describe our local church? Could it also describe you and me? We are the church. Do you care? Does being with other believers matter to you, or do you really not care one way or another? Is it important to you to be under the teaching of the Word of God or can you just take care of that yourself? Is going to church and being with other believers something that you truly desire, or could you take it or leave it; it doesn’t really matter? Are you eager to read the Word of God and study it, or are you okay with a Sunday morning message and maybe a daily devotional that you find interesting? Are you still hungry for the Word of God or have you become satisfied? Do you really want to know more about God, or are you okay with where you are at right now? Do you really pray for others? Do you get under the burden of other people, or are they just problems? Can you pray the prayer that Solomon prayed where he asks God for neither poverty or riches, but just his daily needs, or are you in pursuit of riches that will allow you to live comfortably and free of depending on anyone including God? Are you relying on God for your daily needs or are you bent on taking care of yourself and providing for your daily needs and relying on no one? You do know that God can do that much better than you can, right? Do you really think that it is possible for you to get too much and then forget about God? It has happened for years and it still happens today.  Do you still pray with the same fervor that you did a few months or years ago when you had a health scare? Do you still pray with the same intensity today as you did a short time ago when you had no idea where your next paycheck was coming from? Maybe you have forgotten?

Maybe you’re somewhat apathetic right now; you’re in a rut and don’t know what to do.  You’re a Christian who may have been focused on diligent personal prayer, Bible study, and Christian service just six months ago, and today you feel totally numb toward Jesus and His mission in the world. You’re not an ignorant Christian, because you know what to do. You know that God exists and is worthy of worship. You know that you should pray, read Scripture, sing, and serve. But, in spite of your knowledge, numbness prevails. What do we do?  What can we do to make sure that this never happens to us?

Here are three actions that will help:

Admit your apathy and confess it to Jesus.
When people don’t care, it’s hard for them to admit it. Why? Because, really, they just don’t care. Maybe you have a sense that you’re sliding toward apathy. Maybe you’ve noticed that you don’t care as much about the things of God as you once did.  The first action for the believer is always faith—faith that what Jesus did on the cross is sufficient to forgive your apathy and make you holy. While Jesus was on the cross, many in the crowd were apathetic. Some came for the entertainment, and some even to mock Jesus, but others just went about their business without giving the crucifixion of Jesus a second thought. They honestly didn’t care. Jesus was dying for those people too! Christ cares about people who do not care about Him. Just like every other sin, apathy needs to be confessed, and apathetic people need to repent.

Put yourself under strong Biblical preaching.
There must be real effort on our part. You need to fight apathy with effort.  God uses the proclamation of his Word to help us put to death all kinds of sins, including spiritual apathy.  Do we see the importance of it and how God may use it to reshape our desires for His glory? Don’t forget that apathetic Christians need to force themselves to listen to preaching. It is not easy for them to be faithful to putting themselves under preaching and teaching. It’s all about doing what you know will conquer the apathy that has overtaken your soul.

Force yourself to pray.
Just as reading your Bible must often be forced during seasons of apathy, so must prayer. Forcing prayer is a way of wrestling with God: “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (Gen. 32:26). You may not care about praying right now, but you must push yourself to get alone with God. Prayer—really praying—can be extremely difficult at times, especially for those who are spiritually apathetic. You just have to do it because there are no shortcuts.

My hope and desire for our churches, for each of you individually, and for me, is that we might all identify the danger of becoming satisfied, misdirecting our priorities, becoming people who do not care, and then ultimately forgetting our God.  My that never be, and may we do everything in our power to battle that bent.

Blessings,
Jerry