But John was especially close to Jesus. For some, it's because their relationship with God is grounded in fear—it's more about obedience ... To continue reading, subscribe now. Jesus prayed that we would have the kind of unity with our Heavenly Father and with one another that He had with His own Father (John 17:20-21). But when it comes to working through individuals for His purposes here on earth, God clearly singles out some over the rest. God notices.
"Fear not," he says in an attempt to comfort here. David, the Psalmist, wrote songs of devotion to God. Meaning: God Has Favored Me. John, incidentally, was the only one of Jesus’ disciples not martyred for his faith, but died in exile on Patmos, after seeing and recording the vision of God’s glory. They’re not apathetic. And even after a season of sin (in which he slept with and impregnated the wife of one of his “mighty men” who was out at war for him, and then had him murdered to cover up his sin), God still gave David the enduring legacy as “‘…a man after My heart, who will do all My will’” (Acts 13:22, NASB). Leave a legacy, like Enoch, of having been one who “walked with God.”. And because of the time he spent in sweet devotion with his Lord he cultivated the kind of faith and loyalty to God, as a mere teenager, who could take down a giant with just a pebble and a slingshot. The angel Gabriel called Mary of Nazareth “favored one” when he announced that she would bear the long-awaited Messiah. Worship and revere Him, identify with His pain, gain a heart like His, and display His characteristics in your life. To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. Those moments in a sermon or conversation, during a quiet walk in the woods or in prayer, when Someone taps us on the shoulder and says, "Hey you.
Do you even recognize His voice enough to know when He is urging you to take a step of faith? Those who are favored of God know that God is with them and that nothing can happen to them apart from His good purpose (Romans 8:28). David became Israel’s greatest king because of his heart to please the Lord. Biblical: mother of the prophet Samuel.
Famous bearers: 14th century St Anne; King Henry VIII's wives Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves; Queen Elizabeth's daughter Princess Anne. He poured out his heart to Him. If you want to have favor with God, be fully committed to His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. ", Then again, it's not every day that one gets a cold call from a divine messenger. While Peter said “God is not one to show partiality” (Acts 10:34), and Romans 2:11 says “there is no partiality with God,” those verses, in context, refer to God’s impartiality when it comes to saving both the Jew and the Greek. Scripture calls him one of the “sons of thunder” (that tells me he was a “hot-head” when it came to his temper!). To completely understand the answer, we have to start with the truth that God is always just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 7:11). You must have mistaken me for someone holy." 10 Baby Names We Hope We’ll Never See Again After 2020, Gorgeous ‘G’ Names for Graceful Babes of Any Gender, Influenza Musk Isn’t Real But These Bizarre Celebrity Baby Names Are, Halloween-Inspired Baby Names Meant for the Classic Horror Fan in All of Us, These Royal Baby Names Are Fit For a Little Princess. Prayer. It is of Hebrew origin, and the meaning of Hannah is "He (God) has favored me". Grace. Not to those who want to share the same level of leadership and glory as the Almighty. God gives us eternal life when we embrace His Son (1 John 5:11-12). Take the time to get to know Him, to recognize His voice, to hear His heart through His Word, and perhaps even take long, uninterrupted walks with him every morning or evening. So what can you and I do to get in God’s “inner circle?” How can we be singled out for His purposes and blessings? God has favoured me. God honors the heart that reveres and loves His Son without hesitation, without reservations, and without regard for cost. —Luke 1:28-29, In this story we meet Mary, the mother of Jesus, for the first time in Luke's Gospel, and we are surprised to see much of ourselves in her. He seeks to mold us into the image of His Son (Romans 8:28-29). Solomon’s answer to God’s “million-dollar question” pleased God so much that God gave him wisdom, along with more riches and fame than any person on earth had ever known (1 Kings 3:5-15). Mary is often put on a pedestal, someone thought to be so holy and pure as to be out of reach to us mortals. CTWeekly delivers the best content from ChristianityToday.com to your inbox each week. Here is where Jesus cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” In this moment there is the despair of death, but in the words of the Psalm that he references, there is also hope for deliverance. Mark Galli is former editor in chief of Christianity Today and author, most recently, of.
Keep a humble heart that ever acknowledges God’s sovereign will and He will honor you for it. Yet, despite those legitimate concerns, she showed no reservation, only a humble, surrendered response: “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38, NASB). ", She's so "greatly troubled" here that the angel asks her to sit down and catch her breath. Copyright © 2020 SheKnows Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. Already a subscriber? In essence, God is looking for a few committed, surrendered hearts so He may pour His favor out on them. As a young man – possibly insecure as he took the role of Israel’s king in the shadow of his larger-than-life father, David – Solomon was humble and dependent on God. Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, had a life of difficult circumstances that included abandonment by his family, being sold into slavery, being falsely accused, and years of imprisonment. Yeah you—favored one!" Browse 60+ years of magazine archives and web exclusives. This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright © 2020, Crosswalk.com. "Me? He promises to give us whatever we ask for on behalf of His Son (John 16:23). The name was borne by the sister of Dido, Queen of Carthage, in Virgil's "Aeneid". Can you stay near Him even if all your friends walk away? Log in to continue reading. Mary of Bethany was the woman who sat at Jesus’ feet, hanging on his every word as her sister, Martha, scrambled about the kitchen, taking care of the dinner preparation. Meet the TikTok Generation of Televangelists, I Was a World Series Hero on the Brink of Suicide, Meet the Evangelicals Who Won’t Vote for Trump, Biden, or Anybody at All, Three Evangelical Colleges Cut Tuition Prices, Why Evangelicals Disagree on the President, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CT’s online archives.