Favour is something of a buzzword in evangelical circles nowadays. Everybody wants God’s favour on their lives. When things are going well in some area or another, we’re quick to claim that this is evidence of God’s favour. If someone is in a tight situation, facing some kind of difficulty or needing a breakthrough, we pray for divine favour to be upon them. Or, if we’re really in the fast lane of faith, we don’t just pray for it – we release God’s favour over their lives as though it were some magical substance we carry around in our pockets to dispense on whom we will (on God’s behalf, of course).
What kinds of things are taken as signs of heavenly favour? Financial increase, career success, physical health… even finding a parking spot just when you need it: all these are sure indications that God’s favour with you.
Or are they?
You see, I have a big problem with this way of thinking about God’s favour. What it comes down to is this: many of the things that are routinely seen as signs of divine favour look suspiciously like what the world holds up as success. What does success look like in the world’s eyes? I would suggest it looks a lot like this: health, wealth, career advancement, social status, influence, and so on. If these things are signs of God’s favour, how does a believer living under divine favour look any different from an unbeliever enjoying the fruits of his or her labours?
What do we see of God’s favour in the New Testament? As illustrated in a recent post, of the original eleven disciples who lived through Jesus’ death and resurrection, only one died of natural causes; the other ten all suffered violent deaths, in many cases preceded by persecution, imprisonment and torture. And listen to the Apostle Paul describe the kind of life he lived:
[…] imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers;in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. (2 Corinthians 11:23-27)
How would you like some of that kind of favour in your life?
So am I saying that all the good things that come into our lives and bring us health, comfort and happiness should not be seen as evidence of God’s favour? Well, yes and no. James 1:17 tells us that every perfect gift comes from the Father. Jesus himself said that God is a loving Father who knows how to give good gifts to His children. I believe one of the things the Holy Spirit produces in us is a deep gratitude so that we come to see all good things as ultimately proceeding from the Father. (We mustn’t forget, however, that good things in life are not reserved exclusively for the righteous.)
On the flip side, James says we should consider it joy when various trials come our way (James 1:2). And even the most cursory concordance search on “suffering” or “persecution” should be enough to convince you that James is far from the only New Testament writer singing this song. In fact, if the New Testament believers are told to expect anything, it’s suffering, not success.
How then has God’s favour come to be associated with earthly signs of success? The answer, I fear, is simple. Success sells; suffering doesn’t. Preach that God wants to bless people with financial increase, radiant health, career promotion and doors that will effortlessly open for them in every area of life, and you should have no problem drawing a large and enthusiastic crowd. That’s a message people will pay to hear. But who wants to hear that surrendering their life to God is quite likely to result in humiliation, rejection and suffering?
No doubt there’ll be those who will say I’m just a killjoy, or that I believe in a miserable God. Not so. I believe God is abundantly kind and generous, and delights in letting us enjoy the fruits of His many blessings. I just can’t see any biblical warrant for believing that success in any area of life is a particular sign of His favour; if it was, those who associated most closely with Jesus when he walked this earth clearly missed out.
I can boldly proclaim that God’s favour is on me. And this is what that heavenly favour looks like: the free gift of eternal life, the promise of the abiding indwelling of the Spirit, and the sure and certain knowledge that God loves me with an everlasting love, is always with me and will never let me go. If that’s all the favour I ever get, it will be far more than enough.
