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Welcome to Week #6 of the Dreamers Series
If you missed a previous week you can find them by clicking on the pictures below:
The Father’s Favor
Dreamers Series
“Mom, can you pray and ask God for some encouragement for me?” I pulled the phone away from my face to look at the caller ID. I needed to make sure I was indeed talking to my son.
I wanted to joke, “Who are you and what did you do with my son!” However, I could hear the discouragement in his voice, and didn’t want to add more in my attempt at humor. Truthfully, I was a little surprised by my son’s request. He rarely asked me for prayer, let alone asked me to pray for a word of encouragement and “hear from God” for him.
“Uh sure,” I replied, “but what’s going on? Did something happen since you left the house this morning?”
I listened as informed me he did not get the job he had interviewed for the week before. It was not just any interview; it was his first since officially graduating college and the first interview for a job in his field of study. It was also his first rejection when it came to applying for a job and getting an offer. The got first job he applied for when he was 16 years old. When he left that job and applied for another one, he got that one too. So, while he had experienced rejection in other areas of his life, he had not in the job arena.
I tried to console him, like any good mother would do, but it didn’t make him feel any less defeated and discouraged. I hung up promising to pray for him and the job God had for him in his field of choice. I reassured my son, that I would let him know if and when I got something specific, but the world wasn’t ending, and I was sure God would give him direction too, if he prayed.
A few days later while driving around town I was in prayer for my son, I had the strangest phrase dropped into my heart and mind. I knew it had to be from God: “The favor of your father, is the Favor of your Father.”
When I had a moment I texted the phrase to my son and his reply was: “??? What???”
I texted back: I’m not entirely sure, but that’s what I got as I was praying for you.
“Yeah God … What? What do You mean by this?” I silently pleaded. I puzzled over the phrase for the rest of the day as I ran errands and prayed for understanding.
Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard, himself an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there to sell along with their goods and wares. The Eternal One was with Joseph, however, and he became successful in his own right as a slave within the house of his Egyptian master.
Potiphar could not help but notice that the Eternal One was with Joseph and caused everything Joseph did to prosper. Joseph became the favorite of the household and rose in the ranks to become Potiphar’s personal attendant. In time, Potiphar made Joseph overseer of the entire household and put him in charge of everything he owned. From that moment, the Eternal One blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake, a blessing which seemed to cover everything Potiphar possessed from house to field. Potiphar entrusted everything to the care of Joseph. With him in charge, Potiphar had no concern about anything except for his private affairs, such as the food he chose to eat! (Genesis 39:1-7 The Voice)
Joseph is having a terrible, horrible, no good very bad day! Well, it probably lasted longer than a day, or a week, maybe even a month or more. First, Joseph is looking for his brothers, unaware they want to kill him. He then finds himself stripped of his beautiful robe and thrown in a pit. I am sure from the bottom of the pit he can hear the whispers and discussion as they plot and plan what to do with him next. When all of the sudden, he is pulled from the pit, only to be sold into slavery and taken away from his family and his country.
What must Joseph be thinking? How must he be feeling? Abandoned? Betrayed? Alone? I am positive “blessed” and “favored of the Lord” were not words at the top of list Joseph would use to describe his current situation. However, that is exactly what we read. “God, the Eternal One was with Joseph (vs 2).” He was not alone or abandoned by God. Betrayed? Yes, by his family, but not by God. In fact, not only was God with him, but others could see the hand of favor upon Joseph. Not only was God’s favor upon Joseph, it extended to all that he put his hand to.
As children of God, the same is true for us as well. God promises to never leave us or forsake us. He also extends his favor to us just as He did with Joseph and Jesus.
Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52 NIV)
What is favor?
According to the dictionary it is: approval, support, or liking for someone or something. overgenerous preferential treatment; an act of kindness beyond what is due or usual.
For the believer, favor is “demonstrated delight.” The favor of God can be described as “tangible evidence that a person has the approval of the Lord.”[1]
Often times favor in man’s eyes turns to favoritism and choosing someone or something over someone else. In man’s economy favor tends to be an “either/Or” choice or situation. That is not the case with God. He doesn’t necessarily choose one over the other, He instead chooses to exhibit His favor differently in each of His children’s lives. Through our relationship with Him and our obedience, we can increase His favor upon us as well, just as Jesus did.
As we read Joseph’s story at times it seems that God’s favor is not upon Him. I would not call getting thrown into the pit and sold into slavery by my brothers, God’s favor, and yet, it was. God was protecting Him and positioning Joseph exactly right where He wanted him to be. When we get to the end of Joseph’s story and look back, we can see God’s fingerprints of favor all over his life.
Scripture tells us, Potiphar couldn’t help but notice the favor of God on Joseph’s life. Not only do we receive favor, but God also extends favor to others because of our position with Him!
#God extends #favor to others because of our position with Him Share on X
Just like a good earthly parent wants to give good gifts, open doors, and do anything for their children, God, our heavenly does too. Which brings me back to the strange phrase God dropped in my heart when I was praying for my son.
“The favor of your father, is the Favor of your Father.”
The more I prayed, the more I began to receive revelation of what this phrase meant. My sons desire was to work for the same company his father worked for just in another state. My husband has worked with his current company for over 21 years and he has extreme favor with his company. In a nutshell the favor that was on his earthly dad would get him in the door for an interview. After that, my son had to earn his position, but the Favor of his Heavenly Father would also be on him. Within a month, of graduating my son was hired at the company of his choice and will celebrate his five-year anniversary this year.
The Father’s Favor is available to us all. To activate God’s favor in our life, we need to actively pursue relationship with Him and increase our faith and trust towards Him. We need to recognize who we are and step into our Kingdom identity and accept our position in Him.
#God the Father’s #Favor is available to us all. Share on X
[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/favor-of-God.html[1] https://www.gotquestions.org/favor-of-God.html
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Debbie Kitterman is a natural born encourager who is on fire for God. She is passionate about equipping individuals, so they can go deeper in the relationship with God, reach their God-potential and claim their Kingdom inheritance. Debbie is a wife, mother, author, pastor, speaker and the founder of “Dare 2 Hear,” a ministry that trains individuals to hear the voice of God. She travels to churches internationally and is the founder and teacher of d2htraining.com, an online course designed to equip the believer in releasing God’s heart. Her writing and teachings inspire faith and build bridges for people to believe and expect the impossible. She is also an ordained Foursquare pastor, currently serving with her husband, John, as senior pastor of Restoration Church in Lacey, Washington. Learn more at: www.debbiekitterman.com
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This Wee
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Thank you for hosting. I love sharing with your readers and always find inspiration here. Have a blessed week! #OverTheMoon #ThursdayFavoriteThings
you are most welcome Marilyn. I’ve been traveling and I must have scheduled the post to go live earlier than normal… opps – I sure how you will come back and link up tomorrow morning
I forget so quickly that I have His favor. I spin my wheels trying to earn something I already have. So grateful He is so gracious.
Rebecca, I too often forget about having God’s favor, especially when things don’t seem to be going my way, but as we read about Jospeh, we learn that is not what it’s about. Blessings
Great story, Debbie. Thank you for sharing. Glad things worked out for your son.
Thank you Laurie. I am so very grateful things worked out for his as well. 🙂
When my own story goes off the rails, Joseph’s life is an encouragement to persevere–and a rebuke to my faithless floundering.
Michele, Jospeh’s life is sure packed full of a lot of good reminders and encouragements.
Thanks for sharing this, Debbie! I love that “favor is ‘demonstrated delight.'”
I’m pursuing a closer relationship with Him because I have a need right now for some serious favor!
Jerralea, Pray that you get all the favor you need and then some as you actively pursue Him more and more. Blessings
He had Jacob’s favor, because He had God’s favor. A whole Father’s Day series in itself, Debbie.
HAHAHA – you know I had not thought about a Father’s Day series, but you are absolutely right about all this. Thanks for sharing Rebecca.
I’m so thankful for this truth: “The Father’s Favor is available to us all.” Thanks for sharing this story with us, Debbie!
You are most welcome Lisa! I am grateful for that truth as well.
I believe God’s “favor” or “blessings” look very different than what our Americanized mind imagines. laurensparks.net
Oh yes Lauren, you are so very right. Often times it is that way… After all Scripture tells us “God’s ways are not our ways… nor are His thoughts ares” and yet we try to make them so… Thanks for you great reminder
Thank you for hosting the link up, Debbie. As followers of Jesus, we always have Him on our side. Sometimes what looks like disfavor is simply Him knowing what is best for us as we (like little children) do not.
Blessings!
You are most welcome Carrie! You are so right, sometimes we see things as disfavor, but it is really His way of looking out for us and protecting us. Blessings to you as well.
Thank you! I needed this word about God’s favor this morning!
you are most welcome Elizabeth!
I always need to remember this when my life is going crazy. Thanks for the great words.
You are most welcome, Patrick. I am so glad this was an encouraging reminder for you in the craziness of life. 🙂
This is such a good word. I’m trying to wrap my head about the favor of my Father, but I believe you sum it up very well with these words —> The Father’s Favor is available to us all. To activate God’s favor in our life, we need to actively pursue relationship with Him and increase our faith and trust towards Him. We need to recognize who we are and step into our Kingdom identity and accept our position in Him.
I’m going to be reading these words over and over. Thank you!