Fashioned for Favor

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Psalm 84:11

I have been thinking lately about the favor of the Lord. In my ministry school days, one of my directors noted to me an evident grace that was on my life. From places I found myself in, people I was connected with, and in other aspects of my life, the phrase was that I “walked in ridiculous favor” - which my classmates often liked to point out when they saw it as well. Even all these years later, I do like to still claim that I walk in ridiculous favor, and I am well aware of the grace that live in day after day. Favor isn’t being handed everything, but I see it as a grace to sustain and an expression of love. 

There are so many examples of favor in the Bible, including Jacob, Joseph, Esther, and I could list others. But in the spirit of this time of year, I would like to shift focus to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth the mother of John. Two women who walked in the favor of God. Let’s start with Elizabeth.

I love Elizabeth. There is such a beauty in her story. The Gospel of Luke opens with words of Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, who served in the temple as a priest. The scriptures note that he was righteous and virtuous and followed the commandments of the Lord fully. That said, following God’s commandments and living righteously, they had no children. In those days and culture, a woman being barren brought shame on her. Some would think that it was a sin that kept her from conceiving. But the scriptures are clear that Elizabeth and Zechariah were living righteously. I wonder if all those years she served the Lord that she anticipated what would come. In their old age, God shows them grace and His favor and they conceive a son, John, who would make the way for Jesus. 

In Luke 1:14-15, it tells us about how Elizabeth, when she became pregnant went into seclusion for the next 5 months. “She said with joy, ‘See how kind it is of God to gaze upon me and take away the disgrace of my barrenness!” (Luke 1:15 TPT) Elizabeth, I imagine took this time to treasure this miracle, and gift in her heart, when she could have been flaunting the miracle growing inside of her to every side-eye and gossip in town she must have experienced through her years of barrenness. But Elizabeth, with joy, acknowledged the grace and favor that she was walking in. 

As we are familiar with the story, a few months later, Mary, a young woman, was greeted by the angel Gabriel, “Grace to you, young woman, for the Lord is with you and so you are anointed with great favor.” (Luke 1:27). 

Mary miraculously conceives and goes to her cousin Elizabeth, who was also pregnant and stayed with her about 3 months. While the Bible doesn’t say what they did with that time, we know that sharing experiences brings a different kind of bond to people. We get a glimpse of that in Luke 2 when Mary first arrives with Elizabeth, and Elizabeth prophesies over her, “Mary! You are a woman given the highest favor and privilege above all others. For your child is destined to bring God great delight. How did I deserve such a remarkable honor to have the mother of my Lord come and visit me? The moment you came in the door and greeted me, my baby danced inside me with ecstatic joy! Great favor is upon you, for you have believed every word spoken to you from the Lord.” (Luke 1:42-45).

In response, comes Mary’s prophetic song. You can see in these brief moments even how the women encouraged each other in the Lord and walked in favor and grace and joy.

The beautiful and powerful spirits these women exemplified is evident. What a gift they must have found in each other.

Favor does not just mean being handed something or that things will be easy. Elizabeth went many years without a child in a culture where having a child was everything. It might have seemed like the Lord had turned away from her and she could have gone bitter instead of serving, but she remained righteous, and we can see the beauty that came after when the right time had come. The favor of God was not only in the conception and birth of John in her old age, but in the whole journey that led up to it as well.

For Mary, that favor also brought a hard road ahead of her. But we continue to see the expression of love God has on her and the grace that she walked in through it.

Mary and Elizabeth were fashioned for favor.

God in his expression of love shows us favor as well. We continue to live in this expression of his love and favor when we walk with God and accept Jesus. Walk with God and in his grace this Christmas season, and through your life.