“Better a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more. For he comes out of prison to be king, although he was born poor in his kingdom.” Ecclesiastes 4:13-14

Poverty

Let me say right up front that, by God’s own design, I have never lived in true financial poverty. I’ve had little, but always enough. I’ve never begged for food, was never forced to wear torn and dirty clothing, always received a Christmas present, and never slept anywhere but in a warm bed. All I know of poverty is what I have heard from others, read, and observed.

Today’s Scripture made me think about poverty, though. Poverty is like a prison—it is forced confinement to a life one would not choose for himself. It sounds like a bad thing on so many levels—until you read in the rest of the Scripture that a person can come out of prison and be king. A person born into poverty can be released into royalty. There is always hope.

This I DO know from experience: it is possible to learn wisdom during the confinement and solitude of any sort of prison. People who find themselves in a “prison” have been forced to consider some weighty issues. They have time to think things through. They search for answers. They must take a look at their own feelings, experiences, bias, and worldview. Through this process they develop the wisdom needed to reign as a king should reign: fairly, justly, mercifully, and compassionately, for he has experienced life apart from this.

Poverty is surely a prison of missed opportunities, narrow options, stunted vision, dashed hopes. Hunger and need can drive you to do what you never dreamed you would. The potential birthed at infancy can be stifled immediately by circumstances (this may bring about a “prison” other than financial poverty—for instance, emotional poverty). Or poverty may come upon a person later in life, when there’s a sense of loss, a hunger for what once was, what should or could have been.

God redeems everything—every prison experience, every phase or type of poverty we may experience. He wishes to teach us things He knows we can learn best in those exact circumstances. When one is released from that prison, he comes out knowing much about life, about people, about himself. If he hasn’t learned wisdom—if he has become bitter, blaming, stunted, angry, and resentful—he will never reign as king, for he is stuck in poverty of spirit even though released from prison.

What does this speak to us? We all will reign as kings and priests with Christ one day. Let our poverty, in whatever area we experience it, teach us our lessons. There are many types of lack, many types of prisons. These times will teach us much, preparing us to reign with Christ, for God wastes nothing.

Lord, teach us wisdom in all our prisons and poverty. Redeem the difficult times of our lives, and may our testimony glorify You. Whatever it takes, make us ready to reign as kings and priests with You. Amen.