Divine Favor – Path to Enter Your Rest

One of the various definitions of the word ” favor ” that is so striking is ” to prefer someone or something to other things or other people, especially when there are several to choose from ” (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, New Edition) . Another definition says favor is treating someone better than someone else unfairly. Favor is placing someone as an advantage over other people. It means being chosen among equals. It gives you a place that you don’t qualify for. It is what makes men seek to help you without knowing why. This understanding is necessary to put this speech in proper perspective.

Let’s begin by looking at the message of the Angel Gabriel to Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, ” … and entering, the angel of the Lord said to her: Rejoice, most favored, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women … Then the angel told her not to fear, Mary because you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. This one will be great, and will be called the son of the Most High; and the Lord will give him the throne of David his father ” (Luke 1: 26-32).

Maria was described as a ” highly favored ”, what is the implication of this statement. There were many virgins in Israel in the days of Mary, but none were sent but Mary. Certainly she might not be the richest or the most influential, we can infer from the report’s background. Jesus can only be carried by a virgin woman, even if there were millions of women who qualified. Maria was preferred above all else, why? It was because she “found favor with God.”

Let’s take one more example in the days of Jesus. It came to pass that, as the multitude gathered around him to hear the word of God, he stopped by the Lake of Gennesaret and saw two boats that were by the lake; but the fishermen had turned away from them and were washing their nets. So he gets into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asks him to go a little away from land. And he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat ” (Luke 5: 1-3). Take note, there were two boats, but Jesus sat on Peter’s boat to teach the people. Of course, at the end of this meeting we saw what followed.

There is no life effort that does not require the concept of favor. If every event in a man’s life is allowed to take its natural course, life’s journey to destiny can become frustrating. We live in a very competitive world. Sometimes we find ourselves before the saga of the survival of the fittest. It takes God’s divine favor to bring a man out of darkness to the spotlight. It is divine favor that puts food on a man’s table through thick and thin. Imagine Peter’s report, “We work all night but we don’t catch anything.” What is your report? The need that makes a man work burning the midnight oil and “caught nothing” is a life devoid of favor. Listen, one day of Divine God, he will give you what a thousand days of work cannot give you. Favor takes you beyond the general level of God’s benevolence toward humanity.

By profession Peter was an expert, haven’t you seen how smart most people were? how hard they worked and yet nothing to show for it. Jesus said, ” others have worked and you are entering your labors ” (you are reaping the fruit of your work). There is a place for diligence and the dignity of work. God forbids laziness and redundancy. But most importantly, there is a place for divine favor. You must seek to connect with him. The favor could amount to God linking you to the right source of ideas and information that will change your life forever.

There are three key factors that attract God’s divine favor. I would like to discuss each one briefly.

Obedience: This is simply doing God’s will and obeying all of His commandments. Any child who loves his parents must be an obedient child. I mean total obedience. The Bible says “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; That is why God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions ”(Heb 1: 9RV). The oil of joy is what attracts divine favor. That oil does not dry out. Wherever you go, you are the preferred one. That is what made Aaron’s rod bud; and that settles the controversy (Num 17: 1-13). It was the same perception that highlights Daniel in the land of Babylon.

Sacrifice: sacrifice is giving beyond your means. For every sacrifice you made there is a day of memory; “ May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary and strengthen you from Zion; May he remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering ” Psalm (20: 1-3). The “seed faith”, offering, tithe, first fruit, that you have been giving will speak on the day of God’s Divine Favor. The amount of Favor you receive is tied to the sacrifices you make in life. It is like the law of “sowing and harvest time.” Sow a corn seed, for example, take good care of it, at harvest, what is the yield ratio? Obviously, the harvest of a sacrificial man will exceed the normal or natural order and open greater doors.

Prayer and Fasting: Whatever we want from God, by divine order we must ask for it. He said that he will deny nothing good to those who diligently seek him. We can take the example of Esther in the Bible. He lived in a time when the fate of his nation was under threat. A threat of complete annihilation, a proof of divine purpose. It took God’s Divine Favor to move forward, otherwise the risk involved is not worth it. See how he did it. Then Esther told them to respond to Mordecai: Go and gather all the Jews who are present in Susa and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night and day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the King, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish (Esther 4: 15-16NKJV).

This proposed course of action in the absence of divine favor was suicidal, because no one, including the king’s wives, was allowed to see the king without being summoned; rape attracts the death penalty. But with the weapon of Prayer and Fasting let’s see the result: ” So it was when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, who found grace in his eyes, and the king handed Esther the golden scepter that it was in His hand. Then Esther came over and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her: What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? Up to the middle of the Kingdom will be given to you ” (Esther 5: 2-3NKJV). Can you see the power of fasting and prayer? King Ahasuerus was the most powerful king on earth in his day and it was not easy to see the king in those days. Imagine, a slave who becomes queen, the first among her equals.