The favor of God is an expression of His intimate affection for you and me.

His favor is definitely NOT based on what we do but in the power of His written Word declaring WHO WE ARE IN HIM … that we are His beloveds, the apple of His eye, the object of His intimate affection.  He honors His Word above His name and when He says it, He means what He says that HE LOVES YOU AND ME without conditions.  How we walk in it depends on how we receive what He has spoken to us.  Because of His great love, He gave His only begotten Son, JESUS, that we may HAVE and ENJOY life in  abundance, to the full till it overflows.

Favor is perceived not fair because when God favors us, a lot of times it goes beyond rules and regulations.  One example is that when we violate a traffic rule and an officer catches us and eventually releases us without any struggle or penalty, that’s favor.  Or when we book a flight and suddenly we get the cheapest fare in an expensive airline, much lower than low cost airlines, that’s favor.   More often than not these happen when we get a strong prompting in our hearts to do something and we yield to it or we are just at the right place at the right time.  Sometimes we try to figure out how God works when it comes to His favor.  If we do, then we reduce His capacity and ability to fit into our little minds.  BUT if we don’t, then we give Him the liberty to surprise us with His bigness and goodness.

One powerful experience that I couldn’t forget was when I went to Wimbledon to watch Steffi Graf more than a decade ago.  The day before her first match, I was there but she was scheduled to play in the major courts which was sold out way before the grand slam started so I never had a chance.  All I could do was stand by the players entrance just in case I would be able to see her come in but to no avail.  So, I just enjoyed watching numerous famous players then.

Then, that night I had a very vivid dream.  I was lining up to get a general admission ticket and suddenly an elderly woman was walking towards me saying ..”Who wants Court #1?  I only have one ticket!”  Before anyone could grab it, I raised my hand and loudly said, “me!”  She came near me and handed me the ticket!  Then, reality kicked in when I woke up!  Ahhhhhhhh!!! It was just a dream!

The next morning, I took the train and headed to Wimbledon.  I queued and saw a little 5-yr old boy with his dad behind me.  The father went somewhere to get a drink and the boy was left and so I told him to sit with me.  When the queue moved, I took him and his bags forward.  Little did I know that when I was minding the boy and was distanced from the man in front of me, two ladies suddenly slid into the slight gap.  My heart was pounding and wanting to tell them off but I believe the Holy Spirit in me was controlling me not to.  It was powerful.  Oh what precious gift of the Holy Spirit I encountered … self control … hahaha!!

Then, when we reached the gate, the very moment the two ladies’ turn came for them to get into the ticket booth, there came an elderly man walking towards me.  It was as if I was living my dream.  The only difference was that in my dream it was an elderly woman and this time, an elderly man.  Very same words came out from his mouth, “Who wants Court #1?  I only have one ticket!”  And so, I got the Court #1 wrist band where Steffi Graf was scheduled to play.

The very moment I got into the court, I had jelly legs.  I couldn’t believe what just happened and of course my first question was, “Lord, what did I do to deserve this?”  Funny huh!!!  I didn’t get an answer but He showed me something powerful.  He rewound the whole thing and said .. “If you didn’t help the boy, the two ladies wouldn’t have slid into the gap.  If you fought with them, by the time the elderly man came, you should have been inside the ticket booth.”  Hmmmm … what a pondering thought.

Yes, I saw Steffi played and won that morning.  It was something that I dreamed of for ages and it became a reality.  Nothing is too difficult for our Almighty God.  He orchestrates everything for our favor.  Later that day, a scheduled player was injured and so they had to fill in the the slot with another set of players.  And this time, I was stunned to know that a Mixed Doubles match was up and guess who?????  Steffi Graf and John McEnroe!  Who can do that but God???

Only now I realized that the favor of God is all because of how much He loves you and me. He wants us to SEE Him favoring us to know Him more and encounter His love more and BE FULLY PERSUADED that He is more than committed to our good that us to ourselves. He will position us to receive it as we yield into His leadings and promptings.  What we freely receive, we powerfully experience!

“SURELY, Lord, You bless the righteous; You surround them with Your favor as with a shield.”  Psalm 5:12 NIV