Praying for Finances When Homeless and Unemployed

Prayer is defined as converse with God, an interaction where the soul directly addresses the divine, whether orally or mentally ^[3]. For those experiencing homelessness and unemployment, prayer can be a means of expressing their needs and seeking divine intervention. The biblical Psalms frequently articulate the cries of the "poor and needy" to God, as seen in Psalm 70:5, "But I am poor and needy. Come to me quickly, God. You are my help and my deliverer. Yahweh, don’t delay" ^[1]. Similarly, Psalm 69:6 states, "But I am needy and poor; O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay" ^[2]. These passages highlight a biblical precedent for those in dire circumstances to bring their financial and material needs before God.

The act of prayer itself, particularly in times of distress, is seen as a fundamental duty for the afflicted ^[4]. The Babylonian Talmud emphasizes that when praying, one should adopt a humble posture, feeling "impoverished" before God. It cites Psalm 102:1, "A prayer for the impoverished, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before God," to illustrate that humility is appropriate in prayer, rather than haughtiness ^{[6, 7, 8]}. This perspective suggests that the very state of being impoverished can be a catalyst for a more sincere and humble approach to God in prayer.

Christian theological traditions affirm the legitimacy of praying for material needs. John Calvin, in his Institutes of the Christian Religion, teaches that prayer allows believers to access the "riches which are treasured up for us with our heavenly Father" ^[11]. one tradition argues that a confident faith is essential for effective prayer, distinguishing believers from unbelievers who may pray without such assurance ^[9]. Calvin also notes that trusting God for material provisions is a significant exercise of faith, helping believers overcome anxiety about worldly concerns and focus on "salvation and eternal life" ^[13]. This implies that praying for finances is not merely about the immediate need but also about cultivating a deeper reliance on God.

Augustine of Hippo also addresses the role of prayer in times of need, particularly in the context of human frailty and dependence on God. He describes a "learned ignorance" that comes from the Spirit, enabling believers to understand their need for divine help ^[12]. Augustine encourages fervent prayer, likening the believer to a "widow of Christ" who, in her desolate state, commits her needs to God as her shield ^[12]. He further connects prayer with almsgiving, suggesting that both are necessary actions to prevent spiritual "sinking," much like using a pump to keep a ship afloat ^[14].

The New Testament also encourages asking God for needs. John Gill, commenting on Matthew 7:7 ("Ask and it shall be given you"), interprets this as an instruction to ask God in prayer for both temporal needs, such as food and clothing, and spiritual needs, like grace and wisdom ^[15]. one tradition states that those who ask according to God's will, in Christ's name, and under the Spirit's guidance, will receive ^[15]. This reinforces the idea that prayer for financial provision is a legitimate and expected practice for believers.

While prayer is central, the broader biblical and theological context also includes the responsibility of the community to care for the afflicted. The Mosaic law encouraged charity and sought to prevent destitution ^[5]. Passages in the Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah also foster a benevolent spirit towards the poor ^[5]. The New Testament records begging as common and notes the Pharisees' ostentatious almsgiving, but also emphasizes the spirit by which Christians should give ^[5]. Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, discusses the lawfulness of religious individuals living on alms, affirming that what is given out of liberality becomes the property of the recipient, thus legitimizing receiving support ^[10]. This suggests that while individuals pray for their needs, the community is also called to respond to those needs.

Sources

Psalms “But I am poor and needy. Come to me quickly, God. You are my help and my deliverer. Yahweh, don’t delay. -- Psalms 70:5”
Psalms “Psalms 69:6 (DRC) — But I am needy and poor; O God, help me. Thou art my helper and my deliverer: O Lord, make no delay.”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex. 32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15); "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps. 73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14). Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his ability and willingness to hold inter”
Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Afflicted, Duty Toward The — To pray for them -- Ac 12:5; Php 1:16,19; Jas 5:14-16. To sympathise with them -- Ro 12:15; Ga 6:2. To pity them -- Job 6:14. To bear them in mind -- Heb 13:3. To visit them -- Jas 1:27. To comfort them -- Job 16:5; 29:25; 2Co 1:4; 1Th 4:18. To relieve them -- Job 31:19,20; Isa 58:10; Php 4:14; 1Ti 5:10. To protect them -- Ps 82:3; Pr 22:22; 31:5.”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Alms — Not found in the Old Testament, but repeatedly in the New. The Mosaic legislation (Lev. 25:35; Deut. 15:7) tended to promote a spirit of charity, and to prevent the occurrence of destitution among the people. Such passages as these, Ps. 41:1; 112:9; Prov. 14:31; Isa. 10:2; Amos 2:7; Jer. 5:28; Ezek. 22:29, would also naturally foster the same benevolent spirit. In the time of our Lord begging was common (Mark 10:46; Acts 3:2). The Pharisees were very ostentatious in their almsgivings (Matt. 6:2). The spirit by which the Christian ought to be actuated in this d”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 128a.20:27: That was also taught in a baraita : One should neither stand upon a chair nor upon a stool, nor in a high place and pray. Rather, one should stand in a low place and pray, for there is no haughtiness before God. As it is stated: “I called to You, Lord, from the depths” and it is written: “A prayer for the impoverished, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before God” (Psalms 102:1). It is appropriate to feel impoverished when praying and make one’s requests humbly.”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 128b.20:27: That was also taught in a baraita : One should neither stand upon a chair nor upon a stool, nor in a high place and pray. Rather, one should stand in a low place and pray, for there is no haughtiness before God. As it is stated: “I called to You, Lord, from the depths” and it is written: “A prayer for the impoverished, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before God” (Psalms 102:1). It is appropriate to feel impoverished when praying and make one’s requests humbly.”
Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 10b.27: That was also taught in a baraita : One should neither stand upon a chair nor upon a stool, nor in a high place and pray. Rather, one should stand in a low place and pray, for there is no haughtiness before God. As it is stated: “I called to You, Lord, from the depths” and it is written: “A prayer for the impoverished, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before God” (Psalms 102:1). It is appropriate to feel impoverished when praying and make one’s requests humbly.”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: what we ask, a confidence which the Lord commands, and all the saints teach by their example, we must therefore hold fast with both hands, if we would pray to any advantage. The only prayer acceptable to God is that which springs (if I may so express it) from this presumption of faith, and is founded on the full assurance of hope. He might have been contented to use the simple name of faith, but he adds not only confidence, but liberty or boldness, that by this mark he might distinguish us from unbelievers, who indeed like us pray ”
theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Those Things That Are Competent to Religious, Art. 4: Article: Whether it is lawful for religious to live on alms? I answer that, A man may lawfully live on what is his or due to him. Now that which is given out of liberality becomes the property of the person to whom it is given. Wherefore religious and clerics whose monasteries or churches have received from the munificence of princes or of any of the faithful any endowment whatsoever for their support, can lawfully live on such endowment without working with th”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: time before—viz. that the Spirit of adoption , which seals the testimony of the Gospel on our hearts, gives us courage to make our requests known unto God, calls forth groanings which cannot be uttered, and enables us to cry, Abba, Father ( Rom. 8:26 ). This last point, as we have hitherto only touched upon it slightly in passing, must now be treated more fully. 2. To prayer , then, are we indebted for penetrating to those riches which are treasured up for us with our heavenly Father. For there is a kind of intercourse between God ”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. XV.--28. There is therefore in us a certain learned ignorance, so to speak--an ignorance which we learn from that Spirit of God who helps our infirmities. For after the apostle said, "If we hope (part 2): bereaved and desolate 469 condition? Whosoever, then, understands that he is in this world bereaved and desolate as long as he is a pilgrim absent from his Lord, is careful to commit his widowhood, so to speak, to his God as his shield in continual and most fervent prayer. Pray, therefore, as a widow of Christ, not yet seeing Him whose hel”
CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 75: whenever their hands are not filled with corn, and wine, and oil, so much more value do we set on this shadowy, fleeting life, than on a blessed immortality. But those who, trusting to God, have once cast away that anxiety about the flesh, immediately look to him for greater gifts, even salvation and eternal life. It is no slight exercise of faith, therefore, to hope in God for things which would otherwise give us so much concern; nor have we made little progress when we get quit of this unbelief, which cleaves, as it were, to our ”
Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 6: Augustine — Homilies on the Gospels — ON THE LORD'S PRAYER IN ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL, CHAP. VI. 9, ETC. TO THE COMPETENTES.(4) (part 9): which though the ship be not sunk, yet have they need of recourse to the pump. For otherwise by little and little will that enter in by which the whole ship will be sunk. And to offer this prayer, is to have recourse to the pump. But we ought not only to pray, but to do alms also, because when the pump is used to prevent the ship from sinking, both the voices and hands are at work. Now we are at work with our voices, when we say, "Forgive us our de”
Matthew (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Matthew 7:7: Ask and it shall be given you,.... This is to be understood of asking of God in prayer, for such things as are wanting; whether of a temporal nature, as food and raiment, which Christ, in the former chapter, had warned against an immoderate and anxious concern for; or of a spiritual nature, as grace, and wisdom to behave in a proper manner, both towards God and men: and such, who ask according to the will of God, in the name of Christ, and under the direction, guidance, and influence of the Spirit, who ask in faith and fear, and with submission to the divine will, sha”

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