IN A TIME OF FAVOUR
Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. Psalms 102:13
Times of GOD’S favour are given to enable HIS purpose to be fulfilled. GOD does not pour out HIS favour randomly on people. There must be a definite purpose HE wants a man to fulfill when HE favours the man, GOD’S purpose is the same thing as the destiny HE has designed for a man. Everybody gets something from GOD, whether a sinner or a saint, but GOD has a special package for men and women of HIS favour.
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for HE maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:45
The air we breathe is free, so is the rain and sunshine. GOD gives them freely to all, but HE reserves some special blessings for His children.
Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But HE answered her not a word. And HIS disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But HE answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But HE answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Matthew 15:21-28
In particular, the miracle of deliverance is a blessing that is exclusively for GOD’S children. Jesus described deliverance as children’s bread and HE was reluctant to give it to strangers. You are a stranger in God’s Kingdom if you have not surrendered your life to JESUS CHRIST as LORD and SAVIOUR.
For HE saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. Romans 9:15
Favour is for a few among HIS children. Generally, every child of GOD is favoured but special bestowal of divine favour to distinguish a few from many is done by the act of HIS sovereignty. WHAT FAVOUR CAN DO Favour does many things in human life. Prominent Bible characters were distinguished by the favour they received from GOD. Without divine favour at work, a man of wisdom seems like a fool; a man of strength fails in battle; a man of prospects is devoid of achievement; and a man of commitment has nothing to justify his labour.
And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? And wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? Numbers 11:11
1. DELIVERANCE FROM AFFLICTION
Moses attributed his affliction to lack of favour from GOD. He was in the service of the Lord as a full time minister, yet the burden of the work weighed Him down despite all his efforts to ensure he did not fail GOD. Favour provides competent hands to assist in a project to avoid the affliction of bearing a heavy burden all alone. Whatever is giving you a problem can be resolved by the favour of GOD. So it is a favour from the LORD to be blessed with competent assistance in a task.
2. FAVOUR PREVENTS FROM A DOWNWARD TREND
Moses momentarily lost hope and sounded frustrated when he was not sure of where to get meat for about three million people in the wilderness. It is quite challenging for a leader to cater for a large number of people with very scarce resources. In his complaint, Moses had assessed the quantity of meat they could get from killing their entire cattle and he realized this was not going be enough, yet the demand was pressing upon him.
And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. Numbers 11:15
For a moment, it appeared to him as if his labour of bringing Israel out of Egypt had been futile. The desperation of a man whose goal is threatened by insufficiency can be understood here. If he gave up, he was going to live a wretched life of self condemnation for starting what he could not finish despite putting his life on the line for the assignment. Moses’ words help us understand that with favour, life can be prevented from taking a turn for the worse, so his prayer point was that GOD should prevent his wretchedness.
3. FAVOUR BRINGS THE POOR BEFORE KINGS
The family of Jesse was not rich in Israel. David kept the family’s little flock as a youth. Then he later got a job in the king’s palace as an armour bearer. The Bible records that as soon as the king saw him, he loved him greatly.
And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armour bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. 1Samuel 16:21-22
The poor boy stood before the king and Saul had to seek the permission of his parents to keep him permanently in his employment. Favour can bring the least man before the greatest and cause a man to be in great demand in spite of there being other qualified candidates.
4. FAVOUR ACCELERATES ANSWER TO PRAYER
Generally, GOD answers prayers that are offered according to His will. There is however a difference when a man of favour prays. While he is yet speaking, GOD answers his prayer and even does more than his request. Not only this, favour caused a difficult request to be granted. No matter how big the petition of a man of favour, GOD grants it all the same. GOD was very angry with David when he defiled another man’s wife and arranged for the husband killed by a wicked plot. But when the LORD conducted a trial for him, He said if David had considered what he got so far from Him to be too small, he should have asked for more, which He would have given him, rather than take another man’s wife. Imagine a man who was given a kingdom, what else could he have asked for in addition? That is favour from the Lord.
5. FAVOUR CAN TURN A SLAVE INTO A MANAGING DIRECTOR
Joseph was a slave in Potiphar’s house but he became the Managing Director of his business. This is good news for clerks, messengers and other people in low profile positions in different organizations.
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field. Genesis 39:2-5
By the favour of GOD, people who are not considered to be anybody can be made somebody. The favour of GOD can turn around the situation of a beggar such that a prince would seek his help.
6. FAVOUR PROMOTES
Favour can turn a prisoner into the controller of prisons. The system of the world is full of injustice. Many people due for promotion are denied their right to enjoy it. This is why the favour of GOD is greatly needed. By the favour of GOD, you can enjoy the kind of promotion your experience and qualification could never give you.
And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison. But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the LORD was with him, and that which he did, the LORD made it to prosper. Genesis 39:20-23
Joseph was jailed but by favour, he became the head over the inmates. The prison warders and inmates paid attention to him as though he was the prison governor. The jailer handed over everything to him. By the favour of GOD, you will become the chairman of the place of work even though you are presently in a lowly position, IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
7. FAVOUR CHANGES SOCIAL STATUS
Favour can turn a slave into a queen, as can be seen with Esther. By some kind of misbehavior, Vashti lost her position as the queen of King Ahasuerus. Without GOD’S favour, one could fall from glory to shame and from grace to grass as happened to her. So if you think you are on top and you don’t know God, anything could happen to you.
Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house. And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. Then said the king unto her, what wilt thou, queen Esther? And what is thy request? It shall be even given thee to the half of the Kingdom. Esther 5:1-3
Esther was a slave in captivity along with other Jews. She had no right of citizenship in the Kingdom of Media and Persia – the greatest empire of the day. Without GOD’S favour, she was unlikely ever to qualify for the contest for queenship in a Kingdom that controlled over 127 provinces. But GOD favoured her and she became the queen in place of Vashti. The favour of GOD can remove anybody from a position just to put you there.
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