“The Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created — and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground — for I regret that I have made them.’ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:7-8
Everyone has something that we are thankful to God for. We thank God for love, mercy and forgiveness. We thank God for the blessings that are bestowed upon us. Every time we wake up in the morning, we all have something we can thank God for! But there is another element we can thank God for and that is God’s amazing grace! There is nothing like God’s grace and mercy!
Many times we get the word grace confused by interchanging it with the word favor. For God’s favor is a big deal! It’s right up there with faith, mercy and the grace of God. Favor is similar to grace, but there is a difference!
The best way to explain the difference is to recognize that grace is always a free, undeserved gift. On the other hand, favor can be deserved or gained. The Bible teaches us God’s anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Now don’t let God’s favor mislead you! It doesn’t always look like you think it looks. A lot of people ask for favor with God — and then turn around expecting favors from God. There’s a big difference between the two. Favor is the guarantee of God’s presence, and the provision of God’s power to accomplish the special purpose in and through our lives. In other words, it is not intended for our convenience, but for God’s purpose. This is why favor is so significant.
And it doesn’t matter if you are a businessperson, a pastor, a parent or a grandparent. Everyone needs God’s favor! And God’s special divine favor causes us to rise and thrive! So make no mistake about it! People of every walk of life need God’s favor.
Just think about how many people you have wronged in your life. Think about how many times you have done something that hurt another person. “We all have sinned and fallen short of God’s favor.” So “seek first his kingdom and his righteous, and he will give us favor.”
Look at what happened to a man named Noah. God found favor in Noah and chose him to create a new world. The world had become wicked. God regretted even making humans. But Noah was a righteous man, blameless and had a relationship with God.
Noah walked in God’s favor. To walk in God’s favor is to trust God! To walk in God’s favor is to care about the oppressed, the needy and the vulnerable. To walk in God’s favor is to care for the community and a better world. Walking in God’s favor is awesome!
Rev. Marion J. Miller is senior pastor of Wesley United Methodist Church, Jeffersonville. Contact her at 812-283-3747 or wesley1201@sbcglobal.net.
