It’s not fair. It’s His favor.
Consider Mary… When the angel appeared to let her know she would carry the Messiah, what did he say to her?
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28, NIV)
And what was Mary’s response?
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. (Luke 1:29, NIV)
Not the response you would typically have to finding out you’re one of God’s favorites. So, just to reiterate…
…the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. (Luke 1:30)
Guess what this tells me? Favor might feel like fear sometimes.
After her angelic encounter, Mary had some explaining to do. Now, luckily, God helped her out with this, showing up to her betrothed in dreams and providing explanations that no one would believe if they’d come from the mouth of a teenage girl.
But I don’t think that did much to alleviate her worry every time someone noticed her growing belly and her lack of wedding ring (Wedding rings weren’t really a thing back then, but let’s just pretend for the sake of creative license). I don’t think buying her wedding dress from the maternity section was exactly the wedding planning she’d dreamed of.
If you were Mary, wouldn’t you have had some questions about this whole favor thing?
Throughout Scripture, the favored of God endured countless and unimaginable trials. From what I can tell, unfair advantage feels more like unfair hardship.
Maybe it happened when she loaded her pregnant self onto the back of a donkey to start the approximately 90 mile journey between Nazareth and Bethlehem.
Or perhaps it was when her water broke and the only hotel in the area wouldn’t take her.
Maybe it was when the sheep or cow or whatever animal whose bed she had borrowed leaned in to lick the sweat off of her brow between contractions.
Or it could have been a little later when Joseph told her they had to flee to Egypt to save their son’s life – that wasn’t supposed to be part of the plan.
Maybe it was when she watched the soldier pierce His side as He hung on the cross, fulfilling the word Simeon had spoken to her decades earlier: a sword will pierce your very soul (Luke 2:35).
At some point, Mary must have questioned her understanding of the word “favor.”
Throughout Scripture, the favored of God endured countless and unimaginable trials. From what I can tell, unfair advantage feels more like unfair hardship.
There is always something bigger happening. Something beyond our perception. Something bigger than our understanding. And the favor of God exists to advance that bigger thing.
I recently had a conversation with a friend who is gaining new understanding about the sovereignty of God. She said, “I thought it was just about choices and consequences. I didn’t realize there was something bigger going on.”
There is always something bigger happening. Something beyond our perception. Something bigger than our understanding. And the favor of God exists to advance that bigger thing.
It’s not fair. It’s His favor. And it’s not for us. It’s for His glory.
Does that mean that we shouldn’t or can’t enjoy it once the hardship gives way to life more abundant? Of course not! I fully believe that Mary relished motherhood. Remember, one of the reasons the hardships exist is so that our character can be developed. He has to make us into the person who is able to carry what they pray for.
He is continually making and remaking us into the person who is able to carry what they pray for.
The key is understanding that the hardships don’t always indicate a lack of God’s favor. Notice I said “don’t always”… Guys, let’s not look at a consequence of sin and call it character development. We are responsible for our actions. He can and He will work all things together for good, as long as we love Him and remain called to His purpose.
See, the other thing about the favor of God in Scripture is that it fell on those who were chasing God. Were they perfect? Nope. Abraham was the father of many nations, but before that he was the father of an illegitimate child. The favor of God is predicated on your pursuit, not your perfection.
He is examining our hearts. He knows exactly where we are on the growth chart. He is familiar with all our ways. He will bring us into the exact conditions necessary to advance our lives and His Kingdom.
The favor of God is predicated on your pursuit, not your perfection.
This is so powerful! I love this angle on favor and what it looks like at times!
“There is always something bigger happening. Something beyond our perception. Something bigger than our understanding. And the favor of God exists to advance that bigger thing.” So true and beautiful!
Thank you, Tonya! Love hearing about what parts minister to you!