“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man”
(Luke 2:52)
Favor is only able to grow and increase in our lives in proportion to our obedience to the voice of the LORD. We qualify for favor by our acts of obedience to His Word.
In Hebrew, “favor” and “grace” are the same word (chen). Favor is connected to our understanding two of the most important words in the Bible. They are foundational from Genesis to Revelations. The two words are: shema (to hear) and shamar (to keep, guard and protect.) We see this illustrated in Deut. 28:1-2 where Moses wrote, “If you will hearken diligently(shema) to the voice of the Lord you God, to observe (shamar) and to do all His commandments that I command you this day, that the Lord your God will set you on high above all nations on earth: And all these blessings shall come on you and overtake you, if you hearken (shema) unto the voice of the Lord your God.”
When the Lord causes someone to be a problem solver in our life – that’s favor…. We are experiencing this at OTC right now.
When our enemies are silenced forever, that is favor. We remember, the gallows which Haman had prepared for Mordecai were used on him. Haman wanted to hang Mordecai, but because of favor from the king, the king decreed over Haman, “Hang HIM” (Esther 7:9-10). Haman was silenced forever.
When we are walking in divine favor with God, it creates favor with man. (Luke 2:52) This favor is exactly as a seed that continually grows and reproduces.
Favor is something that God causes to flow towards us as a reward for our acts of obedience to Him.
Abraham And Favor
As Abraham sat in his tent door by the plains of Mamre, The Lord appeared to him. As he is in this place of abiding, he sees three (3) men. When he sees them, he runs toward them and bows himself toward the ground. Abraham did not sit in a position of self-sufficiency, but rather humility. His eyes have apparently been opened to the spirit realm as he now refers to the three (3) men as “one”. He says “My LORD”. The three (3) had become one (1). He addresses the LORD by saying “My Lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, “Pass Not Away…” (Gen.18:3). By saying do not pass by, Abraham is saying, “do not leave me. Don’t go beyond me now. If I am operating in favor, don’t cross over without me”. Because Abraham is an obedient man, the Lord reveals to Abraham His secret plans concerning Sodom.
Saul And Loss Of Favor
King Saul deliberately ignored the instruction of God spoken from the mouth of the Prophet Samuel. Saul was instructed to smite the entire Amalekite camp, including Agag their king. In disobedience, Saul spared the best of the sheep, oxen, fatlings and lambs. Then the Word came to Samuel, “It repents me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he has turned back from following me and not performed my commandments” (I Sam. 15:11). Favor was removed from Saul that day. It stopped because Saul stubbornly ignored the instruction of Samuel, the Word of the Lord God.
May we pray this prayer that Moses prayed. May we pray it today and every day: “Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found grace/favor in your sight, show me now your way, that I may know you, that I may find grace/favor in your sight.” (Exod. 33:13).
“And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you and I will give you rest’” (Exod. 33:15).
With love,
P/Karen
