The Prayer of Agur by author Jay Payleitner is my introduction to him.  I had not before heard of him nor known he had written any books.  This short little book was a brilliant, heart stirring explanation of a prayer that is often over looked in Proverbs, or at least it has been by me.

The Prayer of Agur from Proverbs (30:8-9) is where Agur asks for only his daily bread. He does this for two reasons. If he gets an abundance he could forget about God, and if he doesn’t have enough he might steal and dishonor the Lord’s name.  Reminiscent of the Israelites in the desert, isn’t it?

Payleitner has a nice, easy style of writing.  I found it very enjoyable.  He writes clearly and concisely.  Each chapter is dissected and explained so that a novice or seasoned student will easily understand it.  There are questions at the end of them, also.

The author says:  “Open your heart to Agur’s wit and wisdom, and you can learn to

• escape imbalance
• overcome fear of failure and eliminate envy
• joyfully pursue your passions
• reap the eternal rewards of trusting God
• find your personal sweet spot”

I have read through the Bible many times.  Obviously I just glossed over parts of it, such as this one.  Now I am hungry to reread it all over again and see what I have missed.

A big take away from this book for me is that God has always used ordinary people to fulfill His purpose and always will.  The saying still holds true, “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called,” today.  We just need to listen for Him.

Agur was an unknown man that asked God to provide the exact amount he needed for each day.  He trusted God and was rewarded for that.  It sounds so simple yet is sometimes difficult for mere humans.

I highly recommend this encouraging, inspirational book to everyone.  There is much to ponder within the pages.  I will definitely return for a second read again soon.  It would make a great small group study or book club choice.  Ministers would easily be able to build a sermon on it.  It gets a 5 out of 5 star rating fro me.   I received a copy from the author, but these are my honest words.