Favor in the “Before”
“But to Hannah, he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb.” (1 Samuel 1:5)
Normally having children would be the factor that would bring a woman favor in this time period. In the Old Testament, children were a symbol of wealth and prosperity. Here, it is not an example of earned favor, but favor that is orchestrated by God Himself! Hannah was given a double portion of food, not because of what she gave her husband, but because he loved her. I hear Holy Spirit saying “I will give you favor where you don’t even have the visible fruit yet. I will cause people to see your areas of lack and open their hands and hearts anyway.” Do not be prideful and refuse generosity in this season! People’s choice of you won’t really make sense because they’ll choose you in your “before”. Before the fruit comes. Before the prayer is answered. Before you produce and birth what plagues you in its absence. They will choose you before you have a following; before the book is picked up by a publisher. In this season you will be free from thinking that the blessings of our Father rest in your own works. In this season you will learn to rest on grace: the unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor of God.
It will be the unmerited favor of God that will cause the unmerited favor of man/woman. Not the other way around. Don’t stop at praising the man or woman when the favor starts. Instead, look past the man or woman and see the God who loves you even in your “before”. The only God who, before we loved Him, loved you and me enough to send His only son to die for our sins! Do you see how this scripture is merely an illustration of the way you are already favored, despite what man chooses to do?? Hannah would not have even needed the extra portion of food without kids to feed...but God! Let every instance of favor in your life point you back to the God who did it first, and did it the best.
Prayer
God, thank you! Thank you for the reminder that You are in control of everything that happens down here on Earth. Thank you that you use whomever you want to use to accomplish your purpose. I thank you that even when you are withholding something from me in one area, your love for me never ends! Help me to receive favor as truly a gift from You instead of falling into the trap of performance. I love You more than the lie that I have to produce before I can be loved. I love you more than getting distracted by what I am lacking. Help me to remember how much You have favored me by sending Christ to bear my sins.Thank you for loving me “before.” In Jesus’ name, amen.
