S130P4 – The flavors of God’s favor: ministry positioning
Lk. 3:21-22
When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
Once in a lifetime, a truly powerful and supernatural ministry surfaces to bring great revival. His was that kind of ministry, and people could not get enough of the message he brought. He received invitations from thousands of churches around the world. His team was enormous because he simply could not handle this work alone. One of his team members was a young girl interning for just the summer. Her parents would tell her how blessed and favored that preacher must be to have been entrusted with the great responsibility of that ministry. Yet, they seemed to miss that their daughter, despite her small and temporary role there, was just as favored to be part of that spiritual work.
It is really easy to point out reasons we could argue that John the Baptist was not favored by God. We know that his physical condition and lifestyle during his time of ministry was unimaginable to most, if not all, of us. Living in the wilderness off a diet of honey and locusts and wearing a garment made of animal hair is as minimal as it gets. He had no money or property that we are aware of. He ended his life being beheaded for no good reason at all. Yet, John was certainly favored in that he was given the honor of ushering in the greatest ministry of all time. It was John who baptized Jesus to begin his work of making a way to save humankind and restore all of creation. His time with Jesus was so short, but John occupied quite a coveted spot in the history of our faith.
When we think of the totality of the Church, we know that each of us has a certain part to play. We also see that same pattern emerge in the different ministries of our faith. Some might be tempted to overlook those who have small or temporary rolls in the movements and ministries that shake this Earth, and they fail to recognize God’s favor in putting each person in their place in that great work. Sometimes the favor of God puts us on the stage in the forefront, but the more common position is behind the scenes in anonymity. We must still recognize that position as God’s favor. Father, thank You for the big and small roles You give us in this Christian ministry, and help us to appreciate all of them equally.