The prophet Elijah once appeared to a pious but struggling man and handed him four gold dinars. The man was astonished. Four dinars was enough to start a modest trade. It was a prophet's investment in a working life.
The man used the money shrewdly. He bought goods, sold them at a profit, reinvested, and watched his household rise. Within a few years he was wealthy. His table was full. His neighbors respected him. His children lacked nothing.
Somewhere along the way, however, his prayers thinned. Morning Shacharit became a rushed mumble. Afternoon Minchah was skipped on busy days. Evening Maariv was forgotten when the account books stayed open past sundown. He had not stopped believing in God. He had simply stopped needing anything from Him urgently enough to ask.
Elijah returned. He did not rebuke. He did not lecture. He simply asked for the four dinars back. The man, startled, produced them. The money was taken. With it went the wealth that had grown out of it. Within a short time the man found himself exactly where he had been before the prophet's visit (Gaster, Exempla No. 302).
The sages tell the story as a small warning about the relationship between blessing and prayer. The money was never the point. The standing relationship with the Holy One was the point, and the money was the vehicle. When the vehicle was no longer being used for prayer, the vehicle was withdrawn. A Jew who forgets to speak to God when full will have something to pray about soon enough.