And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. Luke 2:40
What does it really mean to have and obtain God’s favor? In Hebrew the word is chen and it has to do with God’s acceptance. In the Greek the word is charis and when used in a broad sense it has to do with thanks, extended grace, favorableness, loving kindness, and also God’s acceptance. Knowing this .. if one is truly seeking after God then His favor is something we also want and desire. There are many examples of God’s favor throughout the scriptures. Noah found God’s favor. And many other individuals experienced God’s favor – even though they were very flawed individuals, like David.
But that still leaves my original question unanswered. In my understanding God looks for those who diligently seek Him with their whole heart and soul, and those who yield their spirit to His direction. Jesus summed up the desires of God simply.
And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. Matthew 22:37-38
But still there are many times in our walk with Him that we feel we are stagnant and not experiencing any forward movement or growth. There are many ‘seasons’ in our spiritual lives that are not easy to traverse. These are usually the times the Lord wants to do a deeper and more intense work in our lives — to help us grow spiritually. Granted these times are difficult especially on our souls as we ‘feel’ it intensely deep within our inner person experiencing the uncomfortableness of the season. Some may encounter a depression as the enemy barrages their minds with lies, and they have difficulty receiving His Word and the inner ‘whispers’ and words from His Spirit. And many spiraling cycles of self loathing can begin if one hasn’t learned how to survive in the ‘desert’ with only Him. Has God left? Certainly not. But it’s like a parent teaching a child to walk or ride a bike for the first time. The parent’s hand is suddenly not holding on to the child, and the child can panic, or continue but all at the same time remember everything their mom or dad has been teaching them, rehearsing the love of their parents in their minds. The parents are there just inches away — yet the child can panic and fall. We too can become to use to His hand holding on to us – and feel almost ‘entitled’ to God’s favor and blessing. But He wants us to ‘grow up’ and be mature and perfect like His Son. Frankly … it’s a long long process, and He is SO patient with us. He continues to help us up when we fall again and again.
Even though it may ‘feel’ that we don’t have His favor, I am reminded of my own children and my love for them, which they will NEVER lose. God’s love for us is NEVER ending and larger than we can fathom. And because of that love He wants us to grow and mature, so He will correct us, discipline us, and show us our wrongful ways. He wants us to exercise those fruits that the Holy Spirit has been working on growing in our lives. But that takes listening to Him and remembering His love for us.
Currently I am in one of those seasons where I am seeking His favor; traversing a seemingly long desert where the end yet cannot be seen. The fruits of ‘writing’ can sometimes be very long before one sees any results or harvest …if any.
So the Spirit whispers “…. patience, be steadfast and consistent. Be faithful and generous in the small things. Give whenever you can, even though it seems opposite of what you are feeling.”