God’s favor is his supernatural intervention to bring a blessing into your life.
Can you think of anything that would be more advantageous than seeking and finding the favor
of the Lord to give you the supernatural assistance you need to solve your problems, be present
in your trials, and make your hopes a reality? With your family? At your work? In your world?
Think of the lengths people in the marketplace go to in order to find a competitive advantage to
grow their business. Consider all the apps, systems, tools, and tips we have at our disposal to
help us become more organized. Reflect on what parents do to give their children every
possible advantage in life. We’re all looking for “the thing” that will help us become everything
God created us to be in every area of our life. God’s favor is that thing.
Moses discovered that with God’s favor he could successfully lead a ragtag group of slaves to
bring the most powerful army in the world to its knees. Gideon knew that with God’s favor he
could successfully discern which path God wanted him to take in his life. Nehemiah asked for
God’s favor and was granted the opportunity to successfully lead the most significant building
project in the nation of Israel’s history, despite severe opposition.
An important thing to understand, however, is that God’s favor will not keep you from
experiencing personal hardship. As much as I’d like to tell you that God’s favor will make your
life so easy that you’ll be able to eat ice cream and go to bed and lose weight (let’s admit that
would be pretty awesome), it doesn’t work like that. Daniel was shown God’s favor, but spent
the rest of his life in exile in Babylon. Joseph was shown God’s favor, but had a terrible
childhood and spent the majority of his adult life away from his family. Esther was shown God’s
favor, but almost got herself killed fulfilling God’s call on her life.
Yet, despite the difficult journeys the great men and women in the Bible sometimes endured,
they all understood there was nothing more important than seeking the favor of the Lord before
anything they did. With it, victory was ensured. Without it, the battle was lost before it began.
What could God accomplish through your finances if you had his favor on them? What could
happen in your quest to find the right person to marry if God’s favor was on that quest?
What could happen if you sought and found God’s favor for that new business idea of yours?
Keep in mind, though, favor is not magic. We don’t control God’s favor any more than we control
God himself. No amount of positive thinking, visualization, or manipulative self-help mind tricks
will bring favor to pass. God’s favor is his and his alone to disperse.
One more thing: God will withdraw his favor if we deliberately disobey his commands. The Old
Testament king Manasseh sinned greatly against the Lord, and he was led away into captivity
by a neighboring army. “In his distress,” we’re told, “he sought the favor of the Lord his God and
humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors” (2 Chronicles 33:12). The good news,
for him, and for us is, “When he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened
to his plea” and delivered him from their hands. Favor can be given, taken away, and then given
again. It is God and God’s alone to decide. Our task is simply to obey and to ask.
It’s clear that there’s nothing more important than having God lay his hand on your life and go
with you to face your challenges as a man or woman, husband or wife, student, parent, police
officer, or CEO. If maximum impact is your aim, then the favor of the Lord is what you must
seek.
*Taken from Finding Favor by Brian Jones. Copyright (c) 2018 by Brian Jones. Published by
InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL.www.ivpress.com
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Thank you Phil, for putting God's favor into perspective. It is always about Him, Who loved us unto death to save us, and He didn't have to do it. He did it because of His great love and grace.
Grateful you found it helpful, Malva.
The credit goes to the author, Brian Jones (and to Inter-Varsity Press for the permission to post the excerpt),
Phil