Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. (Psalm 5:12 NIV)
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17 NIV)
Last week, our senior traveled with a group of eleven other students and three chaperones to visit the Choctaw Nation and Museum in Oklahoma. Their original 2.5-hour flight was delayed by nearly four hours, but they eventually arrived in Oklahoma without any further issues. The group spent a few days learning about Choctaw culture before preparing for their return home. Unfortunately, their Thursday morning flight from Dallas-Fort Worth encountered unexpected complications.
After boarding their plane and waiting for three hours for de-icing, the group was sent back to the terminal and unloaded. After six hours at the airport, their flight home was canceled, along with 1,500 other flights. They spent the night at the only hotel with a shuttle service and available rooms. The next day, they returned to the airport, hoping to catch a flight to Chicago. However, seats opened up on a flight closer to home, so they changed their reservations—only to learn ten minutes later that THAT flight had also been canceled.
They quickly attempted to reroute to Chicago again. After several phone calls, a dedicated gate attendant managed to book them on three different flights home. But then one group was rebooked onto the second flight, and then the entire second flight was put on standby for the first one. Finally, when the first flight boarded, only the last five members of the group were left behind at the terminal.
Then the girl on standby was called to board.
Then two of the boys were called.
Then another boy.
Then the last adult.
In the end, every one of the fifteen people in their group were able to make the first flight to Chicago.
That, my friends, is what I call favor. The favor of the Lord was upon this traveling group. There were plenty of parents praying for a simple and safe way to bring them home, but in the end, it was the favor of God and a dedicated gate attendant who went above and beyond the “extra mile” to bring them home.
The Bible offers many examples of God’s favor. Joseph, wrongfully imprisoned, found favor with the jailer. Ruth, a foreigner, received favor from the landowner Boaz. Esther, in her courage, was granted favor by her kingly husband. Nehemiah was given favor by his king to return and rebuild Jerusalem. In these and other stories, it’s clear that people with humble, sincere, and godly hearts often position themselves to receive God’s blessing. God then chooses to extend favor by granting them preferential treatment, supernatural benefits, and extraordinary blessings. While I can’t fully explain why God chooses to show favor to some, I am certainly grateful that He does.
Where do you see favor in your life? Maybe it’s finding a great parking spot at the grocery store, using a clean and efficient squeegee at the gas station, or getting a 50% off coupon at your favorite restaurant. Perhaps it’s a change at work that saved your job, a move that brought unexpected blessings, or receiving a positive medical, financial, or personal report. Sometimes, I think God delights in surprising us with these kinds of blessings. But I also believe we should ask him to pour out his favor in our lives. If our hearts are aligned with his will, wouldn’t a loving and faithful God want to bless us? I think so! So let’s ask for it!
Faithful God,
You are a sun and shield in our lives, bestowing favor and honor. Thank you for all the many times you pour out unexpected blessings on us. Forgive us when we aren’t aware or grateful, and help us to be people who look for your favor in our lives. We pray that you would grow us in humility, godliness, and honor of you so that we can recognize all that you do in our lives. Help us to be blameless in your eye so that you don’t withhold any good thing. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us, establishing the work of our hands, we ask in Jesus’s name. AMEN.
The Lord was with [Joseph]; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. (Genesis 39:21 NIV)
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalm 84:11 NIV)