Part 4: This is the Year of the Favour of our Lord!
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news... to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…,”
(Isaiah 61: 1-2,NIV).
When we hear the word ‘favour’, what comes to mind? We need to define it if we want to recognize it in our lives. “Favour”, as a noun, means the approval, support, or liking that is felt for someone or something; or an act of kindness that goes beyond the usual expectation. When favour is used as a verb, it translates it into a fluid, active mode, of showing approval and kindness to others. In a nutshell, God’s favour toward us is a demonstration of His approval of us and the acts of kindness that He shows or gives us. May He open our eyes to His favour that is woven throughout our daily living!
At the conclusion of last week’s post (Part 3: I Love to Tell My Story—I Wish it Didn’t Have to be this One) I promised to share how God used different methods to stir up my faith in the midst of the initial dark days of shock and disbelief [re: being diagnosed with tongue cancer, because I had never smoked or drank]. Throughout this experience, God’s favour has been upon me, and His favour is on you in your circumstances, too! But we need to be aware of God’s favour or we might just chalk His goodness up to ‘coincidence’.
From the beginning of this unexpected journey with cancer, my focus has been: Whatever happens, I want God to get the glory! When I began telling others about my experience and asking for prayer, I limited sharing it with a few trusted friends. When I felt prompted to write this summer series, I began with questioning God. God reminded me that, if I truly want Him to get the glory, then I have to be willing to tell others. Thus one of the first steps to stirring up my faith was the most difficult for me—to expand the circle of people with whom I was willing to share God’s incredible goodness, peace, and love throughout my circumstances. As I debated about His nudging, I was blessed to hear Joel Osteen’s message that we are surrounded by God, whom surrounds the troubles that surround us. When the message concluded, it was clear that I was to expand my prayer request and to share God’s awesome blessings. The positive response was overwhelming—it reminded me of when Elijah, after his triumphant beat-down battle with the prophets of Baal, heard about Jezebel’s death threats, and ran for his life. After he had put a great distance between her and himself, he was exhausted and began to feel alone. God stepped in and emphasized that Elijah was not the only one fighting for righteousness—there were more than 7,000 who had not bowed to Baal! [See 1 Kings 18-19] When I saw the many responses of compassion, encouragement, and support to my plea for prayer, God stepped in and demonstrated to me that I was not alone, either! And I am so grateful to have this freely-given support, which has been a gift to me and my family every step of the way!
The second major step was to spend more time in worship, specifically via music, which is an essential element in my life. My spirit was greatly lifted as I listened and worshiped to a wide variety of music. I was reminded of the chorus, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
Thirdly, on June 11th, I posted about the message that I have been repeatedly getting, “This is the year of the favour of our Lord! I'm so glad that I've heard this message via different sources—sermons, music, people sharing their testimony-- & now I am claiming it for me, my family, friends, ministry, and for you! Thank You, Jesus!
Blessings & Peace
Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk
Former Salvation Army Officer (pastor),
Elizabeth Hogan Hayduk
Former Salvation Army Officer (pastor), Canada
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