There is not one person on the planet who does not wish for more good luck, blessings, or most especially, the favour of God. I am not so sure about the validity of luck, either good or bad, but I do know that the mercy and grace of God is a real thing. In the Bible, God’s MERCY is demonstrated when, out of His loving compassion and goodness of character, He withholds the punishment (eternal death) that we rightfully deserve due to our sin. John 3:16 quotes:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.”
On the other side of the coin, GRACE is defined as God’s unmerited favour, a free gift of blessings and salvation that we do not deserve. The apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8-9:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.”
You may wonder how a regular person, even a Christian, can know that they have God’s favour upon their life? If they believe they don’t, how then can they invite the favour of God into their life? First and foremost, without accepting God’s free gift of salvation, where Jesus died on the cross and rose again on the third day, taking all of our sins onto himself, there is no possible way to gain God’s favour. One can try as hard as he or she wants to be a really good person and do good works in this world, but if they do not believe in God and give their lives freely over to Him, they can never please Him. Easter Sunday is a wonderful reminder of God’s infinite love for mankind. Secondly, we must try to be obedient to what God wants us to do with our lives, and finally, we must always search for wisdom in every decision and situation. In Proverbs 8:35, King Solomon tells us: “For those who find me find life and receive favor from the Lord.” He is talking about wisdom here.
You may ask what are some of the benefits of having God’s favour?
1. King David reassures us in Psalm 5:12: “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” This passage promises that God’s protection of his children stems from his favour. How many times have our lives been spared, often through angelic forces at work in the spirit world around us? Because we cannot clearly see into the spiritual realm in this life, we really have no idea. Most people have had at least one “near miss”, some of us more than that! I am sure that my own life has been saved numerous times. Furthermore, if a person is living through an ongoing battle or struggle, they can be sure that God is with them and will never leave them alone. In the book of Daniel, the angelic figure (Christ) in the fiery furnace with the three young Hebrew men, walked with them and eventually brought them through the inferno, out to the other side. Indeed, they did not even smell of smoke! If we put our faith in Him, Jesus will do the very same for us.
2. Psalm 30:5 describes the eternal joy that comes from God’s favour:
“For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Any Christian who is now enduring the suffering of physical, mental or emotional pain and heartache, for any reason, has the assurance that it will not continue on forever. Even if we get no permanent relief in this lifetime, we know that it will arrive in the life to come. God promises us that. There will be endless joy in Heaven, where no tears will fall.
3. God’s favour can open and close doors for us in the everyday world. I have been blessed throughout my life with a wonderful career in nursing and have always managed to find good jobs wherever I have lived.
4. God’s favour can help us in real estate deals and in finding lasting prosperity. (Wisdom certainly comes into play here!)
There are countless examples of God’s favour in the Bible, far too many to speak of here. To sum up, we live a life that pleases God through: righteousness, obedience, and seeking wisdom. None of us are perfect, but when we fall to sin, we can always go to the Lord and ask for forgiveness, and He will grant it. You may wonder if a person who is favoured by God can also go through hard times and suffering? Having experienced this myself, I would say the answer is a resounding “yes”. Jesus said in the book of John that in this world we will have trouble…but we should take heart, as He has overcome the world! The more we lean into God, studying the Bible, praying, and spending time with Him each day, the more anointing we will receive upon our lives, as we open ourselves up to the endless favour of our marvellous God! There is also something to be said for being optimistic and looking for the silver lining in our trials. In the famous words of Jimmy Stewart, “It’s a wonderful life!”