God Favours Us. Then what happens?

My goal this year is to increase in divine wisdom.  Jesus did — even as a young person.

Luke 2:52 states that Jesus increased in wisdom and in favour with God and man.  But as I increase in wisdom, what can I expect?  What happens to individuals who find favour in God’s eyes?

Different things happen to different people.  I would like to look at two individuals:  Noah and Jesus.

Gen. 6:8 says that Noah found favor in the eyes of God.  He walked righteously before God amidst a generation of people who were ignoring God.

Noah walked with God.  He was warned about God’s coming judgement of the earth.  He was told to build an ark, to save his family and the animals.  He did that, for many years, warning people, including his relatives, including the people he dealt with daily as he constructed the ark.  He was mocked.  That does not sound like fun.

He had invited people to go on the ark with him, yet in the end only his wife, three sons and daughters-in-law went on the ark with him.  He had at least two of every animal, and everything that was good for food.  It rained for many days, so Noah and his family experienced high water.  When he got off the ark, he built an altar and received another promise from God:  that the earth would never again be destroyed by water.  He received a sign to remind him of that:  the rainbow.  He experienced success.

Adam had taken care of a garden and Noah planted a vineyard.  One day, he became drunk.  Scripture does not say why he became drunk.  Scholars think the wine might have been more portent post-flood, than pre-flood.   I wonder if he was drinking in part to ease his sorrow as he remembered his family and friends who did not come on the ark with him.  While he was in his drunken state, he was disrespected by one of his sons.  That would not have been fun.  He prophesied that one of his sons, the one who did evil by disrespecting him, would serve his brothers.  He prophesied against one of his grandchildren, Canaan.  I think speaking against against your own grandson rates a negative 1,000 on the fun scale!  I believe he was saying as a prophet,  that even though evil was still present after the flood, good would still triumph.

Noah had cooperated with God as God tried to deal with the evil in the world.  Yet, Noah had to realize that evil still remained, and it was in his family line.

Noah had found favour with God, and had done what God wanted him to do to fulfill God’s plans for the earth at that time.

Jesus also had favour with God.  He experienced years of ministry, in which he was not always accepted by his own people.  In the garden of Gethsemane, he sweat drops of blood because of the pressure he was under.  His friends were sleeping, instead of praying.  He went through a mock trial, was crucified and went down to hell to get the keys to Hell and the grave.

Jesus went to Hell because of his faithfulness.  Noah faced high water as he walked faithfully with God.  They both accomplished kingdom purposes with their lives.

I want to work this year to grow in wisdom   I believe that as that happens, the favour will increase in due time.  Like everyone else, I have challenges, but life is mostly good.

However, the favour of God will not always means that I have an easy life. It does mean that God will train me, allow me to grow up in Him, that I may be used for his kingdom purposes.

The favour of God leads to having a very exciting life.  May I grow in wisdom, so that the favour of God may increase on me and I can be used even more for his glory.  May I serve Him, come Hell or high water.