The favour of the Lord

“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people” (Luke 1:25).
Well…”Elisabeth, are you saying that all this time up to now you and Zechariah lived your life devoid of God’s favour?”
Your old age…is a proof of God’s favour
Years of righteous life…are proof of God’s favour.
Years of service at the Temple…these are proof of God’s favour
Your presence at his side – a suitable helper…proof of God’s favour.
We, as God’s children, enjoy His favour every day.
We affirm His favour every Sunday at the end of our worship. We say, “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
While we pronounce the blessing once a week…we, actually, live in the light of His face every day as He turns His face towards us.
Today, in the light of our Scripture, I would like to bring to your consideration a third element of God’s favour. We find it in Elisabeth’s song.
God, not only makes His face shine on us; not only turns His face towards us, BUT He zooms His sight in on us. Listen to Elisabeth’s words again, “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people” (Luke 1:25).
God looked on Elisabeth with the intention to take away her disgrace…
The days of God’s favour need not end when we die.
There is a way to enjoy God’s favour forever. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
We live in God’s favour every day. Occasionally, totally according to His will and timing, God shows us His favour – He zooms in on us – in a special way. And when God does that, our lives are changed forever.