The Favor of God

We were going to paint a house today. Bright blue paint clotted on our rollers and coated the brown grey concrete walls, peppering our clothing with azure freckles. It smelled like rotten eggs, so I only used one hand to paint, the other was preoccupied with pinching my nose to prevent the stench from invading my nostrils. “There are some really sweet families down here,” Katie, one of the staff members said, “I think I’m gonna go visit them.” Jumping at the opportunity to abandon the reeking house, I accompanied her about 100 yards down the street, where a child was staring at us with wide, protruding eyes. His mother sat in the doorway, crocheting a hair net. Her long, soft fingers moved delicately, carefully manipulating the black thread into her purpose. David, the child, was small for his age, his hair was patchy with white, and his tender tummy protruded: all things that I have learned are signs of malnourishment. Katie picked him up and began to tickle him, chatting with the mother in Creole. The mother is a believer, attending one of the churches that we partner with. My own childhood was unpolluted by the problems David will grow up with, what millions of children grow up with. From an earthly perspective, I had it easy, never did I lack any need, never was I refused real want. The projections of David and my futures are strikingly different through no fault or effort of our own. And it is the same God who chooses them. From an earthly perspective, that seems unfair. From an earthly perspective, that seems uncharacteristic of a God who says He doesn’t show favoritism (Romans 2:11). 

Yet here we are, spinning in a system that favors one and despises the other. Or maybe we need to rethink our perspective on the favor of God. Are earthly blessings the proof of God’s love? In the story of Job, we see a righteous man being stripped of all His possessions, family, and health, yet he still believed in the goodness of God. King David spent his problematic existence praising the Lord, recorded in the Psalms, convinced of God’s love, even when His circumstances implied otherwise. Even after a lifetime of hardship, he spent his last breath in praise, “My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy Name for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21) But both of these men were highly favored. They had intimate relationships with their Creator. 

If the purpose of life was happiness, then the absence of material blessing would be proof of God’s rejection. If we were made to find happiness in this world, then God would be cruel, because happiness is elusive, and this world is imperfect. The child without food would be wretched, hopeless, and a demonstration of the negligence of God. The affluence of one and the poverty of the other would be representations of dishonest favoritism. But the purpose of life was never happiness, it is God Himself. To know Him, to be near to Him, to be transformed into His image, to worship Him. Our purpose as God’s handiwork is to do good work (Ephesians 2:10), not awaiting an earthy reward for our service, but fixing our eyes on a heavenly one. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Our purpose is to be sanctified. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

God is rich in mercy, knowing the futility of pursuing earthly pleasures and security, so He gives us elements for growth instead. Instead of showing us happiness, He shows us His face, where we can find joy. Instead of giving us security, He presses His peace onto our hearts. Instead of taking away loneliness, He implants His Spirit so that we may never be alone. Instead of giving us immunity from difficulties, He anoints us with His presence within them. So the goodness of God is not dependent on our circumstances because His grace is not dependent on our goodness. His promise is true even when we are not. He is faithful even when we are faithless. (2 Timothy 2:13)

We know that the Lord is brimming with goodness. So, everything that comes out of Him must be good. For all things work together for the good of these who love God and who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)) We know that Satan cannot act without the permission of God (Job 1:12) so, that means that when Satan does act, God allows it in order to sanctify His children. We know that God is intimately concerned with our well-being (Matthew 6:26) so what feels like His negligence must really be His providence. From an earthly perspective, I would walk into David and his mother’s concrete house and see the unjust rejection of innocent humans by a careless God. From a heavenly perspective, I see a double portion of His Spirit displaying His favor. I see the possibility of the joy of the message of God. Many people in positions of affluence are blessed less, because they are not given the opportunity to enjoy God the way the child David will grow up knowing Him. And at the end of his life, I pray that sweet little David will echo the words, “Let every creature praise His name for ever and ever.” (Psalm 145:21)