The Favor of God

Luke 2:39 And when they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

I have often times thought about my own childhood growing up in a small Midwest town. The circumstances of my young life are not all that interesting, and many of the things I did were typical things that any youth would do. There is, however, a key ingredient that helped shape my life, and that was the faith and practice of my parents.

I did not know until I was age 16, when after feeling the call of God on my life to become a pastor, that my mother and father had dedicated me at birth to God. They did this in a public service where they stated that they believed God would use me for His kingdom work. They did not specify what, but held the belief and hope that one day I would be a pastor.

The amazing thing about this is that my parents were faithful through thick and thin. I know that there were times that they had doubts about the realization of their dedication. In fact, at one point in my mother’s journal, she expressed doubt because of my poor grades in school. However, they remained faithful and continued believing in me and for me that God’s will be done in my life.

It’s not hard to see that the parents of Jesus knew that their child was someone special, yet they did what was required so that Jesus was provided the opportunity to become what God had purposed in His life. That’s what godly parents do. They sacrifice and pray and hope and even cry; that their children become God followers and that their children discover their unique calling to come and follow Christ.

Kathy and I committed ourselves to this same course of parenting concerning our own daughter. We have worked faithfully, praying and believing and even crying, that she discover and become all that God intends for her life. Sometimes it is a struggle; the nights get long; and the fruits of our labor seem far from fulfillment at times. Yet, that that is the course of this life.

We do so gladly because we know that the favor of the Lord is the reward and that having the presence and purpose of God in our daughter’s life is the greatest reward and satisfaction any parent could want. The promise is not quick results but a sustained life of purpose. It is worth every ounce of strength and every sleepless night to see the outcome. I think that is what was felt in Mary toward the end of this chapter when it says, “that she cherished all these things in her heart.”

The question today is this. What are you praying about for those in your life, children, spouse, friend, or colleague? What have you offered up to God on behalf of them? The opportunity awaits us to offer up to God each other so that the favor of the Lord might be upon them. What more could we do?

Blessings, Rip