The Prayer of Agur: Ancient Wisdom for Discovering Your Sweet Spot in Life

by Jay Payleitner

"Learn a simple prayer that will help you find your sweet spot in life."--Josh McDowell, author of More Than a Carpenter

"Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread."
Proverbs 30:8

This simple, unexpected request from a little-known biblical author named Agur is the only prayer in all of Proverbs, and it offers life-changing potential.

Imagine finding new purpose and contentment in your work, personal ministry, and relationships. 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

In our modern, busy lives, embracing balance leads us away from bad decision-making and the emotional cost of trying to do too much or survive with too little.

This engaging and practical book faithfully unpacks Agur's humble prayer. Read it in an evening. Affirm it for a lifetime. Share it with those you love.

Genres: Religion

112 pages, Hardcover

Published June 9, 2020

About the author

Jay Payleitner spent a decade in major market advertising. Learning how people think and doing some fun work. Including creating TV spots for Midway Airlines, Kroger, and Corona Beer. And heading up the creative team that named "SunChips."

But God called him into Christian media. And he became an almost-too-busy freelance producer. For more than a decade, Jay scripted and produced Josh McDowell Radio, Today's Father, Jesus Freaks Radio with TobyMac and Michael Tait, Project Angel Tree with Chuck Colson, and thousands of hours of radio that aired across the country and beyond.

Jay is a long-time affiliate with the National Center for Fathering and nationally-known motivational speaker for Iron Sharpens Iron, marriage conferences, men's retreats, women's events, writers' conferences, and weekend services.

Jay has sold more than half million books including the bestselling 52 Things Kids Need from a Dad and What If God Wrote Your Bucket List? His latest -- and perhaps most important release -- is The Jesus Dare.

This June, Waterbrook/Multnomah is releasing the surprising book, The Prayer of Agur.

Jay's books have been translated into French, German, Spanish, Italian, Afrikaans, Indonesian, Slovenian, Polish, and Russian.

He has been a guest multiple times on The Harvest Show, 100 Huntley Street, Moody Radio, Building Relationships with Gary Chapman, Cornerstone TV, and Focus on the Family.

Jay and his high school sweetheart, Rita, live in the Chicago area where they’ve raised five great kids, loved on ten foster babies, and are cherishing grandparenthood.

Reviews

[Steph Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This particular book landed in my lap at an opportune time and seemed to fall right in line with every other book God has been using to talk me through grief lately. It fell right in line with the last 5 books I have read over the past month. This is not a shout out type of book review. This is how I saw the Lord speaking to me through another man's words during a time of pain.

I do not want to sound like a broken record, but I have lost 18 people in my family is the last 17 years. My remaining brother passed away recently just weeks after my husband's brother passed away suddenly. Grief from all of the compound loss made me feel like I had been run over by a truck. Compound that with all of the things that have gone viral in our nation of late and I was needy to hear from God. The first three lines of Proverbs 30 made me need to catch my breath.

I am weary, God,

I kept repeating it in my head before I moved on to the next portion. We moved into the only prayer in the book of Proverbs. That astounded me. Proverbs 30 is also the only mention of God having a Son in the book. I sat there and thanked God (and Jay) in my head for showing me Christ in this book. When You are shown Christ anywhere, it can help you see him everywhere. I wanted to see him everywhere desperately. Even though I have written out the book of Proverbs, I have been truly beginning to see the beauty of the book after. The true Wise Man of Proverbs is a healer when we look to him. I am thankful to see him illuminated so clearly here. I see you, Jesus. You're beautiful.


We follow the rest of the Proverb seeing God's attributes on display. There is something centering about meditating on God. We will never wrap our minds around him, but what a joy it is to try.

I appreciated Agur's prayer to balance on God's provision and seek no extreme in poverty or riches. It's something we could desperately use in our current cultural climate.

Agur's prayer for neither riches not poverty is still resonating in my head each day. He asked for only what he needed each day. He didn't want too much so that he thought he had no need of God or too little that he might steal and dishonor God's name. I wondered if I could truly do the same.

Thank you for writing this book, Jay. It has spoken deeply to and challenged me.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been spending a lot of time in Psalms and Proverbs this summer, so it was only fitting that I read and review The Prayer of Agur. This book focuses on unpacking the meaning and application of Proverbs 30. This Proverb was written by Agur, an individual that is unknown other than this passage of the Bible. However, we can learn a lot from him by reading and studying his words. 

This is a short book with a powerful message. At only 84 pages, it can easily be read in a day or two, or broken down into short daily readings by chapter. There are also questions for personal reflection or small group discussion at the end of the book. It has an attractive hard cover, and it would make a nice gift. The author reviews and explains the whole Proverb, but the part that stood out the most of me was verses 7-9:

7 “Two things I ask of you, Lord;

do not refuse me before I die:

8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;

give me neither poverty nor riches,

but give me only my daily bread.

9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you

and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’

Or I may become poor and steal,

and so dishonor the name of my God.

As humans, we usually just want to obtain more and more. More money. More possessions. More fame. But, Agur points out that if we have too much, we often forget about God and how important it is to rely on him. We become too self-sufficient and only look at our success here on earth. He also states that if we are poor and do not have what we need to survive each day, we may resort to stealing or desperate measures to find what we need. "But the heart of Agur's singular chapter can be found in his prayer: to evade the lies and temptations of this world and trust God to provide our daily needs. God's answers to those two requests should keep us running on a straight track down the middle of the road, not banging off the guardrails."

The Prayer of Agur challenged me to look at my own heart and motives. Am I living to bring honor to my God, and trusting Him for daily provision, or am I trying to rely on the things of this world, and ever seeking to have more and more? I encourage you to look at your own life and consider that question. None of us will be perfect, but we can all live in our "sweet spot" if we live by Agur's prayer.

"So, are you living in God's sweet spot? Or are you forever destined to live on the fringe? Do you really want to continue suffering through money woes, anger issues, a self-esteem drought, raging jealousy, aimless purpose, or other extremes that sabotage your best life?"

I received a copy of this book from the author, in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

[Nyla Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

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,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 from me. I received a copy from the author, but these are my honest words.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sure that I have read this portion of Proverbs before, as I have read them frequently. However, this is the first time that I have seen Proverbs 30 unpacked this way, along with insight on the author of this chapter of Proverbs, Agur.

Agur admits that he does not know very much, but asks some pretty awesome questions about God and his creation. The short prayer itself, contained in a few verses of the whole chapter, is a really good one, that we can strive to pray daily!

He asks first, to help him differentiate truth from lies, and to keep from telling lies himself. He asks God then to not keep him in poverty, but not keep him in riches; in short, to help him be content with what God has provided.

He then lists some random thoughts such as asking God to keep him humble, to enjoy his creations and the majesties of them and all that implies, to love people well.

A couple of take aways that I underlined were:

"Truth matters. Whether it's input or output, whether we are hearing it or speaking it, there is truth and we can know it. It sets us free. Ignore truth, and bad decisions result. Satan, the father of lies, has been observing truth since the Garden of Eden, and we know how that turned out," (32).

"Whether it's cataclysmic or quietly unsettling, much of our conflict is the result of that classic human stumbling block: pride. Or, more accurately, destructive pride. The way to counteract destructive pride is to practice submissive humility. Admitting our reliance on God is a recurring theme of Agur's chapter and a character trait valued throughout Scripture," (68).

This is a short, but very insightful and encouraging read. I highly recommend.

*I received an advanced copy of this book as a member of the launch team. All opinions expressed are my own.*

[Karl Dumas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps you’ve prayed what is called the Lord’s Prayer and wondered about the words “Give us this day our daily bread”. This day? Daily bread? It takes me back to the Exodus story and the manna which the people of Israel were to collect each day. And there’s probably some connection there, and a bit about obedience, but as I read Jay Payleitner’s book The Prayer of Agur: Ancient Wisdom for Discovering Your Sweet Spot in Life (Multnomah, 2020) I gained some new insights.
The Prayer of Agur is actually found in Proverbs (30:8-9) where Agur asks for only his daily bread. And there are 2 reasons. If he gets too much he might start to think so highly of himself that he forgets about God, and if he has too little, he might resort to stealing and in doing so dishonor the Lord’s name. WOW! Why didn’t I see that before ( I read through the book of Proverbs every month, and have for 20 years.) Payleitner cuts right to the quick and makes it nearly impossible to miss.
He goes through this whole chapter of Proverbs, verse by verse with easy-to-understand, but often profound commentary on the passage. All in all it was a fun read gaining insight into the thoughts of Agur: “the list maker”. And then thinking about how to use those insights to find my own ‘sweet spot’.
This is a short book that packs a lot of insight into a few pages. There are questions at the end of each chapter, but I didn’t find them overly helpful.
I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review based on my perceptions and opinions of the book.
4/5

[Julie D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely little book is packed full of nuggets of wisdom from the prayer of Agur. You, like me, not initially know who Agur is. He wrote the beautiful Scripture of Proverbs 30 that is a prayer of God giving him the right amount to live his life properly. Jay calls this the "sweet spot" of living in contentment.

I highlighted this book extensively and even took notes as I read through it. There were so many wise thoughts that I didn't want to forget!

Proverbs is a book of wisdom for our life, but Agur's prayer really gives us in a nutshell what the secret to contentment is. Not to have too much or too little. To keep our eyes on the Lord and live our according to His will.

I really loved how Jay emphasized that the Lord has given us each a gift. He tells us that God wants us to do the things that come easily. These things are our gifts and we should be doing those things to praise and worship the Lord. I found this to be such a relief! My calling shouldn't be difficult or confusing. God made it easy! Do what you love and what you're good at!

This book really opened my eyes to the secret of contentment. I absolutely love this book and will definitely be re-reading it over and over again. It's very grounding and very inspiring at the same time! I highly recommend it and give it 5 stars.

*This book was provided to me by the author. I received a copy of this book to review but I was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed are my own and are based on my observations while reading this book.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Prayer of Agur is the first book I’ve read by author Jay Payleitner, but it won’t be the last. He has such an engaging style of writing, making it easy for all levels of readers to grasp the truths shared. I loved how he explained from the beginning, using three examples of “seemingly ordinary people going about their day” who were spoken about in the Bible, meaning that God, while He took the time to perform amazing miracles through the likes of David, Abraham, Moses, Noah, Daniel, etc., God was able and chose to use “seemingly simple, ordinary people like you and me” for just as amazing, yet simple truths to be shared through their lives as well. That point right there, at the beginning of the book, set the stage for the rest. If God is willing to use “seemingly simple people for His purpose,” why wouldn’t He want to use me, if I’m willing and obedient and faithful to listening to His voice in my life? This is a book that I think will appeal to everyone – the seeker, the seasoned Christian, and all those in between. Very well written, very personal, and very insightful. This is a book that can be read multiple times (it’s quick and easy too) and the reader will gain new knowledge and understanding each time.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit but was not under any obligation to write a review. All opinions are strictly mine.

[Monica H (TeaandBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know that there is only one prayer in all of Proverbs? In The Prayer of Agur, Jay Payleitner talks about this prayer and the rest of the proverb written by Agur.


The Prayer of Agur is a small book with a big message. I spent most of last week reading through this book in the mornings. I enjoyed looking at the 30th Proverb from his perspective. Payleitner breaks the Proverb down in to sections and gives the reader insights into both the writer and the wisdom from this Proverb. In the back of the book, he also includes a complete NIV version of the Proverb and discussion questions for each chapter.


I think The Prayer of Agur would be a great book to use for Sunday School or small group to study together. I did enjoy the author's insights although I think they could be expanded on within a group context. He talks a lot about discovering your sweet spot in life and being where God wants you to be. He makes that sound fairly easy in the book but I think as we live life it doesn't always feel so easy--which is why we need other Christians on our team. The Prayer of Agur is all in all an interesting read and one that I enjoyed.


I received a copy of this book from the author and the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

[Cheryl Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only by daily bread.” Proverbs 30:8.

“The Prayer of Agur” is the first book that I have by the author and will not be the last.
A little-known biblical author names Agur is the only prayer in all of Proverbs, and it offers life changing potential. I have read through the book of Proverbs and did not know who Agur was until I came across the book.

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. How many of us live with the attitude that we need to keep up with the Jones and not depend on God?

Agur prays “Lord, keep me dependent on You,” nuggets of truth that we all need to follow each day.
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 highly recommend the book, I was challenged and encouraged that yes “modest lives” can still have an impact. Find your sweet spot.

I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my opinion. All opinions are my own.

[Karren Hodgkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is such wisdom in this chapter of Proverbs. (Proverbs 30).

I was completely unaware of Agur or this wisdom until I came across the book on Netgalley. I discovered that Agur's prayer is the only prayer in Proverbs. Did you know that? And so little is known about Agur, yet the fact that he is included in the Bible is evidence that what he has to say is important.

In a world where the hunger for more 'stuff' is great and is seen as a sign of success, the premise behind the prayer resonated deeply. It's taken up residence in my mind and comes to the fore when I'm facing challenges.

I want to believe that I am enough. I want to believe that Jesus has a plan for my life. I am encouraged by the message that "modest lives' can still have an impact. "The author speaks about finding an ally in Agur, a fellow humble traveller on the road of life. Such a lovely notion, that we're all on a journey. There is room for us to move and to grow.

I just loved The Prayer of Agur, It's an easy read. I am sure I will go back to it repeatedly.

With thanks to #Netgalley, the author and Waterbrrok & Multnomah for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

[Roger Sigmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The prayer of Agur is the only prayer included in the book of Proverbs. Wait! The prayer of who? Agur, a little known prophet that only appears in this one chapter of the Bible. The author takes an in depth look at the parts of the prayer, which many read without given much thought to what is being said. Agur has quite a few insights that were clearly ahead of his time, making sense as he was a prophet. The author breaks it down and makes it applicable to our own lives. The ultimate goal is to find our own "sweet spot" with God. This is an easy read, yet chocked full of information and insight. A very thorough unpacking on this chapter and how it can impact us now. I had never heard of Agur, in the past I had simply skimmed over his name, yet there is much we can learn about this prophet that barely makes a cameo in the Bible. If you enjoy digging into the Word and learning about commonly overlooked people and stories, then this is the book for you.

[Katie Fischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prayer of Agur is a short, but in depth look, at a powerful prayer that was written by a relatively unknown man. Agur's prayer asks God to meet his needs, no more and no less. Given the push for more, more, more in our society, I think this is very relevant and should resonate with most people. The author, Jay Payleitner, encourages readers to apply Agur's prayer to their own life and find their sweet spot.

I have read through the Bible several times, and yet I have not taken the time to really examine this prayer before reading this book. I am so glad I did! This book was an enjoyable, quick read. I took a lot away from it, and have definitely changed my own prayer life based on what I learned. It would work very well as a group study. In fact, it includes questions for the reader at the end. I would definitely recommend it!

I received an advance copy of this book from the author.

[Create With Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty years ago, Bruce Wilkinson came across a little-known prayer in 1 Chronicles 4:10 that caused him to pause – think about the things he prayed for and why he prayed for them – and to share his experience with others. His book, The Prayer Of Jabez, resonated with so many people that it became an international best-seller that continues to inspire readers to this very day!

If you liked The Prayer Of Jabez or enjoy discovering simple, scriptural prayers that can help you to change your outlook and approach to life, then Jay Payleitner’s new book, The Prayer Of Agur, is going to be of particular interest to you!

The Prayer Of Agur is an easy-to-read book that is filled with many practical spiritual applications…

This excerpt is taken from the original review that is published on my blog. To read my review in its entirety, please visit Create With Joy.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Prayer of Agur focuses on a prayer made by a man few have heard of, one not mentioned again in the Bible. Yet his is the only prayer included in the book of Proverbs and he makes one of only four references (prophecies) in the Old Testament which specifically mentions God's son. Who was this man?

Payleitner gives us his in-depth look at Agur's thirty-three verses and how important they were for their time and for us today as well. Agur, as so many of us do, seeks balance in his life.

I enjoyed learning more about this often overlooked but important prayer.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Mulnomah for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book of Proverbs has many guiding lights for its readers. The only prayer in the book of Proverbs is the prayer of Agur and it has many of the ideas that we need today to get through difficult times and people. The author really uses this prayer as a guide for the reader to use to handle many of the difficult decisions and times we have as we move through our lives. I enjoyed the discussion of this passage and its application to my life.

[Rocky Henriques · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite ...

If you are really looking for a book on the prayer of Agur in Proverbs 30, this, I am afraid, is not it. The book is about Proverbs 30, for sure, but very little space is given to the actual prayer. The book is well-written and at times reminds me of Max Lucado's style, but there are a few exegetical leaps here and there. It's almost as if the author had a point to make with the book, and went looking for Scripture to back it up.

[Michelle Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have a couple of hours? That’s all it will take to read this little gem. If you only have a few minutes- buy it for the last two chapters and read those- it’s worth it. Have you every wondered what God wants you to do, or how best to maximize your God-given abilities? Pick up this book and learn about this little know Biblical character who has a lot to teach you about how to pray.

[Kelly Catlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little book! It was a quick read but so insightful. I learned from it, was challenged by it, and also entertained with the content "as you can see, there's more to prophecy than most people realize: Prophecy we can trust." This book will help you find your sweet spot for living and "not being in the place of too little or too much."

[Sara Dangerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going through Proverbs 30, Jay does a great job of breaking down this chapter section by section. All of a sudden what may have seemed hard to understand, or confusing, now not only makes sense, it’s applicable! This book truly helps you learn a simple concept to help you find your sweet spot!

[Adam Cain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes some good points in an easy to read format but seemed to stretch things out a bit as though it had to reach a certain length to be the right size for a book. Could've really been 1/3 less and equally impactful

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read anything by Jay Payleitner. I looked him up after reading the book just to get a better sense of the author's perspective and background. He's quite prolific.

The Prayer of Agur is an indepth eighty-ish page analysis and discussion of Proverbs 30. Generally, I enjoy these types of deep reviews of one small passage, chapter, or book of the bible. Overall, I enjoyed this book as well. I did feel at times that the writing went from focused narrative trying to contextualize, explain and apply the prayer of Agur to a preachy commentary on society. At the places where the book felt like it went to preachy commentary on society, I didn't particularly enjoy the book mostly because I didn't feel like it was where the writer shines brightest.

Where Payleitner analyzed and expanded on his thoughts of Proverbs 30 in a sort of biographical midrash of the possible thoughts of Agur, I think the book shines.

Overall, The Prayer of Agur is an incredibly approachable, easy read - I read it in just a couple of hours. It's clear that with discussion questions for each chapter at the end, the book is designed to be read by individuals or by small groups. It would be an interesting choice for a small group study or even for a whole church analysis. A pastor could easily adapt the book into a short sermon series on Proverbs 30 as well.

[Miranda A. Uyeh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prayer of Agur is drawn from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 30—a well of wisdom that pertains to issues of life which deal with how the human heart raises questions and chooses to trust God (or not). The prayer seeks to lead the individual to find proper balance in God's provision of everything one would ever need in life, by first, trusting God and His goodness fully, to gain insight into discovering your sweet spot in life through that provision—which is different for different people, and is definitely not as the world interpretes it in light of happiness and success.

With the help of this prayer book, one can examine motives as well as ponder more deeply on perceived "needs", helping to provide better clarity on whether such needs are truly that or wants, as well as helping to decipher the purpose for which we want them.

At an age where the world has taught human hearts to desire selfishly, The Prayer of Agur is a heaven-sent, to lend us some wisdom to maintain the path of Truth that truly satisfies.