When the Bible speaks of God's favor, the good news is that it does not mean that God is wanting us to do more for Him. As a matter of fact, it is quite the opposite!
The word "favor" in the Bible actually means "to turn one's face towards". It reminds me of times when there has been a crowded room and I have heard my child or husband's voice. I turn towards the sound of their voice because they are so important to me that I would turn to them above any other voices that might be amplified around me. I have showed them "favor".....because they are my favorite.
So it is with God. He shows us His favor when we are in the midst of our lowest place in life.
1 Kings 19
10 Elijah replied, "I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
Elijah has been secluded so he can get alone with God. He has heard the voice of God speak to him to get him to admit where he was spiritually apart from God. And now as Elijah shares where he is, God lets Elijah know that He sees.
When you are in the midst of your struggles and feel alone and barren, so often we feel that god has forgotten us and that He does not see nor care what we are going through. And yet, in our most desolate place, the Lord comes near to let us know that He does see, whispering His love and His presence to us.
Psalm 145
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
he hears their cry and saves them.
Reminds me of Hagar in the book of Genesis. God has told Abraham and Sarah that they will have a child and yet Sarah does not believe and gets ahead of God and gives her handmaiden, Hagar to Abraham. Hagar conceives and Sarah gets so mad about it. She sends Hagar out into the desert to fend for herself or die. Hagar is alone and in desperate need of help.
Genesis 16
6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.
9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers."
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers."
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
Notice that in Hagar's desolate state, she was not only secluded, but she was spoken to in the form of a question, just as Elijah. Hagar names the Lord, El Roi, which means "the God who sees" because He had seen her plight and had come to her aid. And the angel of the Lord told her to name the baby Ishmael, which means "God hears".
When you are in a stale, dry place, know that God secludes you, speaks to you, and sees you. He hears your plea for help; He sees your pain and struggle, and He draws near, if we would but be still and hear His still small voice speak His Presence and His Peace over our lives and situations, that appear hopeless.
Growing up, I was the middle of three girls. One day, I found each one of us girls baby books. My mother had written a note in the front of each of them and they were each addressed by name with the first sentence being, "You were my favorite because.....". I was a bit miffed and felt cheated until my mother shared the truth was that we were all her favorites for different special reasons!!!
If you are in need of God's kind of favor....if you need to know that He is near, that He sees, that He has turned His face toward you, you simply call out to Him and ask for His help. Based on the truth and the authority of God's Word, He will come and save you. He will turn His face towards His favored one. And He will whisper His Peace and His Presence over you.
After all, you're His favorite!
Post a Comment