When you ask someone for a favour, you’re generally asking for something they don’t owe you. The Bible says this about God: ‘You bless the righteous; you surround them with your favour as with a shield.’ The word ‘righteous’ doesn’t mean flawless, otherwise none of us would qualify for His blessing. Instead, it means to be clothed in ‘the righteousness of God’; in other words, despite all our imperfections, we’re made acceptable before God, which allows us to experience His favour (take a look at 2 Corinthians 5:21). We don’t deserve it, but God gives it to us willingly when we’re open to Him and accept Him into our lives. The favour of God made it possible for people in the Bible to do great things that they couldn’t have done in their own strength or without His support. God called a teenager named Esther to save the Jewish people. So she stepped out in faith, approached the king uninvited, even though it was against the rules, and ‘he welcomed her (Esther 5:2 NLT). God made a way for her to do the job He’d given her. Without the favour of God, Ruth, a Gentile, wouldn’t have been accepted by the Jews. But because God had a plan for her life and her heart was open to Him, she ended up marrying Boaz. And from that union descended King David, and ultimately Jesus. The Bible says, ‘Good people obtain favour from the LORD (Proverbs 12:2 NIVUK). So pray for the favour of God today. Start looking for it, and keep your heart open to Him.

What now?

Spend a few minutes thanking God for giving us His favour, even though we don’t deserve it.