Favour is an act of kindness performed or granted out of goodwill. It is preferential treatment shown to somebody. When a man finds favour in the sight of God, that man will cease to struggle for anything he desires. All that he can ever ask for or imagine will be granted to him, not because he deserves it, but because he has found favour. The person operating under favour may not be qualified for blessing, but he gets blessed all the same simply because he has obtained favour.
The book of Esther is about a young Jewish girl named Hadassah, an orphan who was forced to compete for the affection of the King. Her Jewish heritage made her an unlikely contestant for such a “beauty pageant”, but God showed her favour and she was crowned queen of Persia and was renamed Esther.
In the story of Esther, the king had to pick a new queen. All of the women, except Esther, had everything, and used everything material, at their disposal to look more attractive and appealing to the king. Esther, however, was different. She requested nothing but what the King’s custodian advised. The other women portray a glaring example of worldly people who strive to be favoured based on their efforts and what they can force out of the world for themselves.
But when the result was out, what happened? The bible reports in Esther 2:17, “Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her,” and the king “loved Esther more than all the other women and she obtained favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set his royal crown upon her head and made her queen…”
How could this be what distinguished Esther in the quest for favour? First, Esther did not trust her own efforts. While the women tried to outdo one another by relying on their own efforts, Esther wisely submitted to the one person who would know the king’s preferences best, and the results spoke for themselves.
Notice also that Esther depended entirely on the Lord’s unmerited favour. Esther did not have to struggle. When she rested in the Lord and humbled herself, the Lord promoted her and exalted her above all the other beautiful women. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Esther did not go along with the world. Therefore, she received the divine favour and not worldly favour. Which one do you want?
When we humble ourselves and cease from our efforts to promote ourselves, and depend on God alone. He, then, will be our promotion and increase. Like Esther, you will stand out in a crowd and obtain grace and favour with God and man. Also, when Esther was promoted, she used her position to protect others.
When the Lord promotes you, He gives you the influence to be a blessing to the people around you. There are no coincidences, only ‘God-incidents’. The Lord will bless you to be a blessing. (Esther 2:15).
Edikan Ukpong
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