Favour

<<good-will, approval>>

for it (Prov 11:27). God declares He strengthens and favours those who are committed to Him, are humble and obey His Word (2 Chr 7:14; Isa 66:2). He delights in and blesses those who walk in His path and earnestly seek Him with all their heart (Ps 1:6, 5:12, 37:23, 119:58,135; Prov 3:5,6; Act 7:9,10).  This does not mean though that everyone who is prosperous or healthy has found favour with God, nor that dedicated believers will not experience chracter forming hardship (Ps 37:7, Jer 12:1; Act 14:22).

Seek God’s favour on your life, and the promise is you will find it (Deut 4:29; 2 Chr 16:9; Prov 8:17; Jer 29:13; Mt 7:7,8). “If I have found favour in your eyes, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favour with you” (Ex 33:13). This will be outworked in us as we seek first His kingdom and love Him with our whole being with our desires increasingly coming into alignment with His (Mt 6:33; Mk 12:30). A person will win favour (approval and acceptance) with God and man by displaying genuine love and being faithful (Prov 3:3,4).

Being favoured by God does not mean the absence of difficult situations. Gideon said, “If the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?...If now I have found favour in your eyes…” (Jdg 6:11-22). The angel said to the mother of Jesus, “Mary, you have found favour with God.”  Yet soon after the birth of Christ, a righteous follower of God said to her, “A sword will pierce your own soul too” (Lk 1:28, 2:35). Those favoured of God are often subjected to greater trials and harassment by Satan, yet this only develops a greater dependency on Him with a confidence He will work through those situations so they will come out stronger people spiritually and eternally enriched as nothing can happen to them apart from His good purpose (Rom 8:28; 2 Cor 4:17).

A person favoured (approved) by God often meets extra responsibilities and greater challenges. Throughout the Bible, many of the favoured ones were persecuted and suffered hardship because of the responsibility God placed on them. “This man [Paul] is my chosen instrument…I will show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Act 9:15). As God’s chosen people, the Jews, “the apple of His eye”, are increasingly being hated by the world community (Deut 7:6; Isa 45:4; Zech 2:8).

boldly asked for God’s favour on his life and he received (1 Chr 4:9,10). “May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us” (Ps 90:17).  

“The year of the Lord’s favour” refers to the present day of grace, where salvation is freely available (Isa 61:2). All people are given the opportunity to become children of God through repentance and accepting Christ as Saviour, however not everyone chooses to. Many times He lavishes His goodness on humanity in general, however there is also the aspect He will not force His blessings (including salvation) on anyone – He wants us to ask in faith and receive “so our joy may be full” (Mt 5:45, 21:22; Mk 11:24; Jn 1:12, 16:24). Our response is to love and obey God more and more and in this way we confirm the favour, not favouritism, which He has shown us in our election for salvation. God’s favour is not sin whereas favouritism is when someone chooses a person or thing because of some perceived worth.

See also: bless/blessed, chosen, election, favouritism.