The Favor of the Lord

Last Sunday night, my husband Nick handed an envelope to me from a lady in our church. “For Baby” it said. Opening it I found $100. Next morning I checked out the baby section on Craigslist where I found this: “Everything you need for baby - $100”. We are now fully equipped for our baby due in May with a vibrating, musical bassinet, a changing table full of tiny diapers, clothes and blankets, two bumbos, a johnny-jump-up, a foldable playpen, a baby exerciser, everything for bathing the baby, a rocker, and the list goes on!

Going to my doctor appointment Monday, I pulled out of the driveway, I could hear the Lord, “Well, there’s the girl highly favored of the Lord”. I smiled and thought that was sweet, but then came the next thing, “You say it now, ‘I am the girl highly favored of the Lord’”. I chuckled a little. It was too good to be true it seemed, but I said it. I kept saying it as I watched the green light from far away – the light that ALWAYS turns red right at the Wal-mart intersection. Amazingly, it stayed green for the longest time. Remaining green, this “highly favored girl” just drove right on through! I couldn’t believe it! I thought surely the 4 or 5 lights I had to go through downtown would turn red on me, but again it was the same thing! They all stayed green! I was shocked! Maybe I really was having favor from the Lord – maybe it was my imagination. I looked to see the license plate of the car in front of me: BEST 2 U.

My husband and I have been having a group meet in our home on Wednesday nights. We’ve been talking about God’s grace and favor. Never has there been a response like what we’ve had. Good, decent people are realizing that for so long they’ve had one foot in the law, becoming a law to themselves, and one foot in grace. They are finding very little victory as they try to pick themselves up by their own bootstraps by the law one moment and claim God's grace the next.  They can’t help but judge themselves and others because the law is still operating in them. They can’t believe that Jesus has really and truly already fulfilled the law.....there’s nothing more.....that they ARE the favored of the Lord!

Jesus said, “I would rather that you were hot or cold”. I used to think that meant he would rather see you on fire for Him or cold toward Him. But that doesn’t make sense, does it? Wouldn’t lukewarm be better than nothing at all? And what determines if you’re hot? Your good works? The good works which are as filthy rags? Isn’t that still all about you? Listen! God is saying I would rather you be hot – totally depending on my grace – or cold, totally immersed in the law. But not both! If you were totally under the law, the law would work death in you and drive you to the mercy and grace of Jesus.

Your Savior bore everything in his body for you. There is no condemnation for there is no law for us. The new law is grace. The old law serves as only a black backdrop for the diamond that glistens now in the beauty of Jesus Christ. Jesus reaped in his death what we sowed. We now reap what Jesus sowed. Therein is where God’s favor to you and me lies. We are standing in the place of Jesus - the One whom God said, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased."  It's not because of us.  It's every part because of Him.  The favor of God toward Jesus is now His favor toward us!  Praise the Lord!   ~Kristine Lancette