S130P1 – The flavors of God’s favor: among people
Acts 2:46-47
So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
They had made the trip a dozen times with different teams, but it was my first time joining them. A big part of the mission would be a series of impromptu medical clinics for those who could not afford regular care. One issue for those people, which would be an issue for our clinics, was that over-the-counter medications we buy without thought could not be obtained there without a doctor. We would have to take our own medications with us, but getting them through customs could be a big problem. Yet, once we obtained our luggage and made our way to the customs gates, they simply opened. It turned out that a friend of the team was a customs official, and regardless of whether he knew the purpose of our trip, he waved us through with a welcoming smile.
When we read scripture, it can be easy to assume that our interactions with the world always will be difficult, always will be a fight. Even though God’s word clearly indicates to us that we will come up against opposition, it also illustrates his power to grant us favor even with the very people we expect to oppose us. Sometimes He does so by placing a brother or sister in their midst to convince them not to stand against us. Other times He does so by causing those who would create obstacles to miraculously and without explanation move out of our way and help us. When we see favor swing in our direction in these ways, it really is the favor of the Lord manifesting itself in those who might have no idea that God has chosen to work through them for his purposes.
The early Church would have been in a very tough spot. They were by far the spiritual minority in their area of the world, and people in power wanted to dissolve their association and extinguish their faith. Their expectation certainly was not for the world to embrace them or help them in their endeavors. However, the Lord planned for their success and for their numbers to grow. To make that happen, He made his people favored among all people. He took the very ones who could have been obstacles and used them to help make the way clear for his plan to be fulfilled. Father, thank You for the favor You give us among people to compete your work with help from the unlikeliest of sources.