Favor through Faith

We all need favour in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of people. But we should also know that we cannot earn favour by our own efforts. When we try to end up pleasing people and do things to earn their favour, it will end up in disaster. This can be learnt from the life of Abraham.

Abram wanted to be treated well by the king of Egypt. He didn't use a straight way to earn the goodwill of the king. He used his wife Sarai to gain favour from the king and the people of Egypt. Abram did this when he found himself in a stressful situation. It can be seen in the following verses:

Genesis 12:11–13:

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

Just before he set out for Egypt, God talked to him, saying:

“I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Isn't it such a big blessing? God's word to Abraham was that nations would be blessed through him. But immediately when he went to an unknown nation, fear overpowered him, and he started to devise his own plan to get the favour of the people in the land.

The ending was a disaster. He ended up hurting the people around him. The king and his family were hurt. Things went back to normal only when God involved Himself again in the situation.

Hey friend, Abram was a person who received a great promise from the Lord. But when he faced unknown people and an unfamiliar situation, he couldn't stand on the promise of God. Instead, he relied on his own wisdom to get favour from those around him. Abraham and Sarai lost their good name with the Egyptian king.

When we are in a situation where we need people's favour, all we need to do is not run behind people but remain steadfast in holding on to the promises of God and patiently wait for Him to intervene. Our own efforts will get us tangled in unnecessary situations, whereas involving God will help us progress safely towards His promises.

Dear God,

Forgive us for the times we relied on people to earn favour. May we rest in You and receive favour from You at the right time. May we learn to trust You in tough situations. May we not fear people and make a series of mistakes in a rush. Protect us, dear Lord. May our steps be guided by you

In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.