Favour. Obedience. Blessing.

The favour of God is a common phrase or lingo in Christian circles. So common that its understanding has been lost, in my opinion. It seems, the favour of God is a status to be sought for one’s own selfish desires. Indeed, what is the favour of God? What does it mean to have favour from God? Is favour from God something we should seek as Christians or is it bestowed upon us when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that is, at salvation? There are many questions one can have on that topic but today I want to focus on the relationship between favour, blessing and obedience.

If there is something that God requests of his people constantly, it is obedience. Simply put, obedience is doing what you are told. God commands his people to obey him by following his commands and putting them in practice. He insists so much on it that by the end of reading through the book of Deuteronomy, you pretty much get the idea that obedience is extremely important to God. It is repeated several times in the Pentateuch for that very reason. Now favour, as defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary is “friendly regard shown toward another especially by a superior” or “approving consideration or attention: Approbation”. Similarly, in the bible, favour takes both of those meaning depending on the context plus a third one which is “pleasing” or “please”. Many times, favour is rendered as pleasing in other translations. For example, the NIV renders Esther 5:2 as “When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand” (emphasis mine). In other words, Esther obtained favour in the sight of the king which meant she was welcomed in the presence of the king and had the privilege of making a request to the king. Many people in the bible had favour from God such as Jesus (Matthew 3:17), David (1 Samuel 16:22), Joseph (Genesis 39:21), Abraham (Genesis 18:3), Samuel (1 Samuel 2:26), Mary (Luke 1:30) and so many others. What we find common in all of them is that the favour of the Lord was upon them because they were faithful and obedient to God. These men and women of God lived for God, they walked in a manner worthy of their Father in heaven and that released the favour of God in their lives. So, what is critical to see here is that, obedience is the key to being found favourable before God or pleasing before God. Deuteronomy 28:1 says “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth”. The condition to receiving blessings from the Lord or being pleased in his sight is obedience. Do you want the Lord to look favourably upon you? You ought to obey Him. What commands from Him are you not following? Is the Lord calling you to draw near to Him? Why not listen and obey? Is the Lord calling you to take the uncomfortable route? Obey Him, for He has proven Himself faithful over the ages and will remain Faithful because he cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

Many of us want to have the favour of God because His favour usually brings blessings, but no one wants to obey His Word. Abraham is one man in the bible apart from Christ whose obedience continues to amaze me. He never hesitated to follow God’s instructions for him. He never second-guessed God when he was told to leave his people and his kindred to go to an unknown place. He never second-guessed God when God told him to sacrifice his only son. What is more, when Abraham obeyed, he never looked back. He gave God is hundred percent. No wonder, Abraham was blessed and had favour from God. No wonder, God was able to keep His promise to Abraham and to His descendants. Obedience is the key. As Abraham had faith in God, he was able to obey God. Like James says, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness”. How can the world know that you believe God if not by your obedience? And your obedience is practical. Jesus said those who do my Father’s will they are my brothers and sisters. In other words, those who obey God the Father are siblings of Jesus, they belong to the same family. Obedience is the fruit by which the world is able to see what you say you believe. It is more visible, and tangible. A life marked by obedience is a life of faith and trusting completely in the Lord Jesus.

This is what we are called to throughout the bible and we have the perfect example of obedience in the person of Jesus Christ who obeyed his Father on to death. It was clear from the life of Jesus that He was not living for Himself but rather for the will of His Father. And what was the result of His obedience you ask? Blessings that we cannot begin to comprehend. Because of His obedience to the Father, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God, all authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Him, He has been elevated so highly that at His name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord. Obedience brings favour indeed, it allows God to release the blessings He has planned for you, it gives God the way to express Himself in you, to have His way in you. Would you let Him? He wants to bless you. It does not matter how difficult the journey is or the road you embark on will be, if we trust Him and obey ,we will be blessed.