How To Ask God For Money: A Complete Guide

Asking God for financial help when money is tight can seem overwhelming. With bills stacking up and expenses rising, you may wonder if turning to your faith really makes a difference.

If you’re short on time, here’s the key to asking God for money successfully: Focus your prayers and attention on expressing gratitude, surrendering control, seeking wisdom for managing money, and being a generous giver yourself. Maintain an attitude of trust in God’s provision.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the fundamentals of bringing your financial concerns before God in prayer and back it with practical tips for getting your finances in order.

Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Thank God for Past and Current Blessings

When asking God for financial provision, it is vital to come to Him with a heart filled with gratitude for all He has already done in your life (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Take some time to reflect on the blessings He has provided in the past – that well-paying job you landed right when you needed it, the surprise check you received in the mail, the way your needs were always met even when money was tight.

Not only does remembering God’s faithfulness strengthen your trust that He will provide again, it also helps guard against developing an attitude of entitlement.

In addition to thanking God for past provision, be sure to praise Him frequently for the financial blessings you currently enjoy – the food in your fridge, the roof over your head, the money you have to pay this month’s bills (Philippians 4:6-7).

No matter your current financial situation, if you take time to count your blessings, you will likely find more than you realized! An attitude of gratitude shifts your focus from lack to abundance.

Praise God as a Generous Provider

Along with thanking God for specific financial blessings, it is meaningful to praise His generous, giving character. Throughout Scripture God reveals Himself as a Father who loves to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11), a Shepherd who promises to meet all their needs (Philippians 4:19), and the Owner of all the earth’s riches and resources (Haggai 2:8).

When you worship God as the ultimate Provider, you affirm your trust in His willingness and ability to supply what you need – whether through supernatural or practical means.

Balancing petition with praise is key. Don’t just ask God for things; speak words of thanks and adoration for who He is and how He provides. The more you cultivate gratitude, the more your requests will flow out of a place of worship rather than mere need.

As one preacher put it, “We must praise before we receive, or we will never really believe.”

Surrender Control of Your Finances

Acknowledge God’s Sovereignty

The first step to surrendering control of your finances to God is acknowledging that He is sovereign over all things, including money. As Christians, we believe that God created the heavens and the earth and that He owns everything in it (Psalm 24:1).

Though we work hard to earn money, we must remember that it all ultimately belongs to God, not us. He is generous and provides for our needs, but we are simply stewards of the finances He entrusts to us during our lifetimes.

Surrendering control of your money starts with humbly acknowledging you are not the rightful owner. God calls us to hold our possessions loosely and trust that He will provide what we need when we need it.

This requires faith and a willing heart to let go of the tight-fisted grip many of us keep on our wallets. As you begin to acknowledge God’s lordship over the money you earn, you can start surrendering control of your finances to His wise plan.

Ask for God’s Intervention

Once you have acknowledged God’s sovereignty, the next step is to actively ask for His intervention in your finances. Pray and ask God to help you manage your money according to His will, not your own. Tell Him your desires, such as getting out of debt, saving more or increasing your giving.

Then listen for how the Lord may be leading you to steward your finances differently in order to bring Him glory.

As you learn to rely on God more through prayer, He will change your heart to value His kingdom over worldly wealth. This may lead to simplifying your lifestyle, being more generous or working in a different vocation.

Trust that God cares about your needs and will guide you to make wise financial decisions as you ask for His help. He may even bless you in miraculous ways, providing unexpected income, lower expenses or financial guidance through other believers.

Though the process of surrendering control takes time, keep asking for God’s intervention in your daily financial choices.

Here are some tips for practically asking God to guide your finances:

• Pray over your budget each month, asking for His wisdom in managing what He’s given you.
• Seek godly counsel from pastors or mature believers when facing major financial decisions.
• Ask God each morning to help you be a wise steward and generous giver that day.
• Praise God when He provides for an unexpected need or leads you to make a wise financial choice.

As you continuously ask the Lord to intervene in both big and small money matters, He will shape you into the faithful steward He wants you to be. Surrendering control of finances to God brings freedom from money worries, deepens your trust in Him and allows you to generously fund His kingdom work.

Seek Wisdom for Managing Money

Pray for Guidance and Discernment

Seeking God’s wisdom in managing finances starts with prayer. As Christians, we can come before God and ask for discernment in how to steward our money wisely (James 1:5). We should pray for an understanding of biblical financial principles, guidance in making spending decisions, and strength to exercise self-control.

Consistent prayer helps align our hearts with God’s desires for our finances. We can even pray for specific needs like getting out of debt or saving for a major purchase.

It’s important that we approach God with humility, seeking his perfect will rather than just asking for more money. We can admit our weaknesses and dependencies on him. As we earnestly seek God’s wisdom in prayer, he promises to provide the insight and direction we need in financial matters.

Study Biblical Principles on Finances

In addition to praying, we need to learn what Scripture says about money and possessions. Below are some key biblical principles on finances:

• God owns everything – We are simply managers of what he entrusts to us (Psalm 24:1, Haggai 2:8).
• We cannot serve both God and money – Our heart’s allegiance should be to God alone (Matthew 6:24).
• Avoid loving money – The love of money leads to all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
• Give generously and cheerfully – We should give to God sacrificially and joyfully (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
• Work diligently and ethically – God expects us to work hard and conduct business honestly (Colossians 3:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12).

Studying relevant Scriptures helps us adopt God’s perspective on finances. As we renew our minds according to biblical principles, our actions and decisions will align more with God’s will (Romans 12:2). We’ll gain greater wisdom for managing money and stewarding resources for God’s glory.

Commit to Generous Giving

Set Aside Offerings Faithfully

Giving offerings to God should become a regular habit and spiritual discipline. As part of your commitment to generous giving, set aside a portion of your income on a consistent basis to give as an offering. Many believers aim for the biblical standard of a 10% tithe.

Schedule automatic transfers or write offering checks at the start of each month before paying any other expenses. This makes giving a priority and sets your month off on the right footing. Faithfully setting aside offerings demonstrates that you want to honor God first with your finances.

Look for People in Need

Keep your eyes open for people who need help that you may be able to bless financially. Watch for needs among people in your community, church, workplace, and family. When you encounter someone facing difficult circumstances, pray about how God may want you to help.

Some examples include:

• Covering an unexpectedly high medical bill for a congregant at your church
• Paying for car repairs so a single mom can get to her job
• Helping a co-worker catch up on overdue housing payments

These small acts of kindness show God’s love in a tangible way. As you give generously, remember Jesus’ words: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)

Other Practical Tips

Create a Budget to Track Expenses

Creating a household budget is crucial for managing finances wisely when asking God for provision. A budget outlines income, calculates expenses, and helps make spending aligned with needs and priorities (source).

Apps like Mint or spreadsheets help create budgets itemizing costs for housing, food, transportation, healthcare, entertainment, etc. Tracking every expense identifies where money gets spent and what costs could be reduced. Setting savings goals for emergency funds or big purchases also helps budget.

Revisiting it monthly ensures alignment with changing situations. Wise financial stewardship demonstrates maturity to God when presenting needs.

Reduce Unnecessary Spending

Reducing discretionary spending is vital when asking God to meet needs. Differentiating wants from needs helps curb excess spending. For example, dining out or getting takeout frequently may be convenient but cooking economical meals at home saves considerably.

Postponing shopping for new gadgets, computers, TVs, or game consoles until you can pay cash may be prudent. Unsubscribing from multiple paid streaming subscriptions and just keeping one or two cuts entertainment costs.

Call service providers to negotiate for lower rates on cell phone, internet, cable plans. Avoid impulse shopping trips, create grocery lists before store visits. Limit using credit cards which entice overspending. Being content with what you have demonstrates maturity to God (Hebrews 13:5).

Evaluating if expensive habits signal misplaced priorities helps get spending aligned with needs showing wisdom when asking God for provision.

Explore Additional Work Options

Seeking opportunities to supplement income shows initiative when asking God to meet financial needs. Working overtime or extra shifts generates more funds. Freelancing skills like writing, web development, graphic design, virtual assistance on flexible sites like Upwork or Fiverr earns extra money.

Driving for Uber or Lyft offers work hour flexibility. Starting an online reselling business on eBay, Etsy or Amazon helps monetize unwanted possessions.

Options like paid online surveys, dog walking, ride share services offer part-time work. Renting out extra living space via Airbnb allows people to contribute towards housing expenses. “Side hustles” demonstrate willingness to work hard in stewarding resources.

Adding income streams while asking God for provision exhibits maturity in managing finances.

Conclusion

Bringing your financial difficulties to God in prayer is a powerful first step. Combine it with practical actions around budgeting, reducing expenses, and looking for extra income sources as needed.

Above all, maintain an attitude of praise and gratitude as you walk in trusting dependence on God’s provision one day at a time.