The Favor of God

The Lord was waiting on me again this morning with such a powerful word. I had to share it with you.

As I walked into the prayer closet today, I was quickly reminded of psalm 23 and it was as if the Lord pulled out the chair at the table for me to sit down and receive from Him. He directed me first to consider Mary and Joseph. I’ll be honest, I kind of struggled with this because we usually only consider them at Christmas, but I knew this was the Lord and His directive for me today. He said I want you to consider Mary and Joseph. They were rejected, despised, slandered, gossiped about and treated unfavorably by men.
Yet they were favored by God and chosen to carry the most precious gift of God to all mankind.
I was immediately struck with awe and wonder as I reflected on the fact that the favor of God does NOT mean that you will have favor with all people. The reality for Joseph and Mary and so many others, is that the favor of God often brings the scorn and rejection of men. Yet, we hold confidently to the assurance, that the present rejection, opposition, and hatred from people is a temporary affliction. While the favor of God upon the humble, is eternal. The momentary light afflictions are producing in us an eternal weight of glory. God favored Mary and Joseph because He knew He could trust them to stay steady, firm and resolute in the face of those who would reject them, gossip about them, slander them, mistreat them, and despise them.
There is a false assumption that if you have the favor of God upon your life, you will also have the favor of people on your life. Yet, that is not what we see in God‘s word.
The favor of God was upon the apostle Paul, and while Paul enjoyed God’s favor, he was rejected by men in every level of society including religious circles. The favor of God was on John the Baptist and John was hated, despised and murdered by men. The favor of God was on Jeremiah the prophet, yet Jeremiah suffered the pain of lacking favor with men because of God’s call on his life to tear down, uproot and remove the faulty, broken down, rotten foundations of men. The favor of God was up on Joseph, but he had no favor from his own brothers, and he suffered severely at the hands of men.
Yet all of these, and so many more… Received the favor of God that produced for them aneternal weight of glory that can never be removed.
All of them carried a very precious gift/treasure from God. And the very people God sent them to carry this treasure to, despised them, rejected them, opposed them, slandered them, and mistreated them.
The favor of God often requires that we lose the favor of men. God is asking us today to choose. Which do you desire more: the favor of God or the favor of men?

Most people strive to have the favor of men that is very temporal and fleeting. People are fickle. People are carnal. The very ones who praise you today may be those who sharpen their teeth like swords to attack, accuse, and condemn you tomorrow.
The favor of men may feel good for a moment, but it is gone like a vapor. Only a fool would live for and strive for the applause, praise, and approval of people. The wise live for and humbly seek the applause, praise and favor of God. It is the favor of God that sustains us when others rise up to destroy us.