Grace and Favour

"For You O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield."                                                                                Psalm 5:12   NKJV 

Warren Wiersbe writes: 'The outcome of our fellowship with the Lord should be joy in His character, His promises and His gracious answers to prayers.' David praised God for the blessings and protection He provides for those who love Him. In Psalm 5:11, He urges God's people to boast about Him and to shout for joy as a way of expressing recognition of who God is, what He has done and what he can be trusted to do. Tony Evans comments: The one who experiences God's favour will be surrounded by God like a shield. There is no safer place to be.'

We see this in the example of Joseph in Genesis 39:2-4: 'The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man, and he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. 3 And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that, the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favour in his sight and served him.'

Psalm 1:1-3 reads:

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.'

This Psalm resembles Joseph's life, especially while he was in prison. He had God's favour surrounding him. Why? Because, He lived for God, accepted where he was and his whole life was built on doing what God wanted him to do and, because he did, God gave him favour. 

The immediate circumstances in our lives are not always the best indicator of God's blessing or guidance. To Jacob, Joseph was dead, killed by wild animals; however, Joseph was very much alive and he was where God wanted him to be. Just think about that for a moment. At this time, things may not be ideal; it may be hard work and full of disappointments and failures. However, you may be where God wants you to be. Perhaps, if you begin to accept this fact and, give your best to God wholeheartedly, He will surround you with His Grace and Favour and turn on the taps of blessing for you. It is just a case of acceptance and being content where you are and getting on with the job in hand. It's food for thought.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2