THE WONDERS OF HIS FAVOR
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. – Ecc. 9: 1
Ponder on These Questions:
§ Why do I need divine favour in order to prosper?
§ Why do I need divine favour to succeed?
The answer lies in the above text. It is not how fast you are that will determine whether you will reach the goal or not. It is not how hard you work that will determine how successful you will become. In fact, the passage declares that it is not even how wise you are that will determine if you will get to the top or not. But God is the All in all. He is the Controller of everything.
The Bible says that our God is in the heavens, and He does as He pleases (Psalm 115:3). He does as he pleases and no one can query Him. He says He will be merciful on whomever he pleases, and have compassion on whosoever he wishes to.
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. – Romans 9:15
It is impossible for a vessel to query the porter. Who can look at the Lord and query his wisdom? Can the finger look at God and question Him saying, “Why did you make me so tiny?”
Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? – Isaiah 45:9
It is God who decides who will prosper. I pronounce into your life that you will find favour with God.
When I was at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, I was a sportsman. There was a girl who was the fastest in the university. We went for a competition among other universities. We were so sure she would win a gold medal. No one could compete with her; she ran like the wind. She got to the finals and the race was about to kick off. On your marks, set, go! She took off and left her competitors meters behind. But when she had run about 10 meters, she suddenly fell. She got up and fell again. This happened trice.
The fourth time she fell, she began to crawl because she could not get up. That was how she lost the race. If you win a race, it is because God wants you to win. I pray for you that as you read this book, my Father in heaven will favour you, in the name of Jesus.
Diligence – is important. It pays off between God and man.
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men. – Proverbs 22:29
God rewards those who are diligent in seeking him.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. – Hebrews 1:6
Diligence is great; but it is not enough. Yoruba elders have a saying that it does not matter how hard you struggle unless God favours you.
Sowing – As a son of a farmer, I saw my father plant yam seedlings into the soil when the first rain of the year falls. He planted the best seeds always. My father did not sow any seed that was not absolutely good. We always wondered why he kept planting the best seeds. The reason is because whatever you plant in a year determines what you harvest the next year. Galatians 6:7 makes it very clear:
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
The truth is that if you do not sow, you will not reap. If you sow sparingly, you will also reap sparingly.
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. – 2 Corinthians 9:6
Sowing is important; but it is not also enough.
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is
he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. – 1 Corinthians 3:6- 7
All that God has to do for you to fail is to remain neutral. He does not have to fight you for you to fail. He may not stop you from sowing and watering. But if He refuses to give the increase, failure is assured. I pray that God will never leave you alone. Diligence is important; sowing is important. But unless God blesses– gives the increase – efforts will be in vain. Proverbs 10:22 makes it clear:
The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
Deuteronomy 8:11-18 also throws more light:
Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
If you succeed, do not be proud. If you prosper, do not say it is because you know how to do it. It is God who gives the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). It is God and God alone. In fact, there is nothing you are doing that others have not done before. There is nothing that you are doing that others are not even doing better. But God decides who to favour, and once He blesses you, you remain blessed.
Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. – Numbers 23:20
When God blesses you, all the enemies in the world cannot stop that blessing. When God decides to favour you, He will do it in such a way that everybody
begins to complain. In fact, you are not yet thoroughly blessed until everyone begins to criticise you. The Bible says that when Isaac sowed in the time of famine, God prospered him so much that the Philistines envied him. Imagine a whole nation envying a person! I pray for you that God will bless you so much that newspapers, TV stations, and all forms of media will begin to criticise you.
When God decides to favour you, He sets you up for a blessing. For example, in Luke 4:24-26, the story of the widow of Sarepta becomes compelling:
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country. But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Many widows in Israel needed a miracle, but God chose this particular widow. In 1 Kings 17:8-16, when Elijah came to her, she complained that she only had one last meal:
And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
The prophet asked her to give him that last portion to eat. She obeyed, and the
rest is history. Put yourself in her position of abundance then. Can you imagine everyone around her looking hungry, weak, haggard, and malnourished? But she was shining. Her only son was‘bubbling’. She had abundance. On the other hand, people would have gossiped and nosed around sayin“gW, e know your secret. It is because there is a prophet in your hous”e.So will people say when God has blessed you so much: “ We know why you are prospering; it is because you are serving a Living God!”
God set up this widow for an unprecedented miracle. God requested for her last meal. Meaning, “Put me first, and let me see.” God did this so that when other widows complain to Him why He chose only that widow, He would ask them“,If I ask for your last meal, will you be able to give it?”
Solomon is another example in 2 Chronicle 1:6-15:
And Solomon went up thither to the brasen altar before the LORD, which was at the tabernacle of the congregation, and offered a thousand burnt offerings upon it. In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon said unto God, Thou hast shewed great mercy unto David my father, and hast made me to reign in his stead. Now, O LORD God, let thy promise unto David my father be established: for thou hast made me king over a people like the dust of the earth in multitude. Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like. Then Solomon came from his journey to the high place that was at Gibeon to Jerusalem, from before the tabernacle of the congregation, and reigned over Israel. And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, which he placed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. And the king made silver and gold at Jerusalem as plenteous as stones, and cedar trees made he as the sycomore trees that are in the vale for abundance.
Solomon gave a thousand burnt offerings and God came to him, asking him to ask for anything he wanted. Solomon requested for wisdom, but God added
wealth, long life and peace. For a while after I read this scripture for the first time, I wondered why Solomon will only ask God for wisdom. If one is tasty, he will ask for water. If one is hungry, he will ask for food. So, I thought, if Solomon asked for wisdom, it means he realised that he was foolish. But how can a foolish person make such a request? The Holy Spirit resolved this myth for me when he showed me in the Scripture that God set him up because He loved Solomon.
And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD. – 2 Samuel 12:24-25
When Solomon was born, it was David who called him Solomon. The Lord called him Jedidiah, meaning the beloved of the Lord. Do you know that no one can receive anything except it is given him from above?
John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. – John 3:27
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
– James 1:17
The Lord said to me that He put the inspiration of giving Him a thousand burnt offerings. Where do you also think He got the inspiration to ask for wisdom? God put it into him. If someone one day asks God, “Why have you not blessed me like Solomon”? God would ask, “Have you given me a thousand burnt offerings before? If I asked you what you desire, would you say it is wisdom? ”
When God decides to favour you, he sets you up. He makes you do what no one has ever done before, and then He will swear on you like he did to Abraham, that He will bless you indeed. I believe that picking up this book to read, no matter how it got into your hands is a divine setup! I am confident that the Almighty God before the end of this month will put something in your hands and sa“yG, o ahead; do this one for me”, so that before the end of this year, the world will see a difference in your life. If God favours you, the rest will be easy. You will cease to struggle in vain.
The first thing you will ask for is God’s grace. The greatest grace that one can receive is the grace of salvation. You must be born again. Let the blood of Jesus wash away all your sins, so that you can enjoy the favour of God. After that, pray the following prayer points that follow with all your heart, asking God to
favour you beyond all understanding. Listen carefully to God after these prayers to hear what God will put in your heart to do for Him to set you up for exceeding prosperity.
Prayer Points
- Father, if you want to favour only one person this year, let it be me, in the name of Jesus.
- (Bring out an offering/sacrificial seed you have never given before. Hold it up to heaven and say) Father, set me up for a major breakthrough, in the name of Jesus.
- Oh Lord, put something in my heart to do for you that will open doors of prosperity that no one has ever had, in the name of Jesus.
- Almighty God, surround me with your favour, in the name of Jesus.
- Oh Lord, favour me with great testimonies, in the name of Jesus.
- Lord, use me for your glory so that I will never lack again, in the name of Jesus.
- Heavenly Father, be gracious unto me from today, in the name of Jesus.
- In the name of Jesus, the name above all names; I declare that I will never struggle in vain again, in the name of Jesus.
