Marian Oyetola
Favour is the measure of grace you obtain from God either directly or indirectly. It has nothing to do with your holiness or how righteous you are. When God decides to favour you, it goes beyond human understanding. Someone once said ‘this lady is just blessed and she herself could not understand how the blessings are pouring out from all corners’.
There are different types of favour we obtain from God. Note that when man favours you, it has already been written by God. He has plans for everything and all glory should be given to him. The type of favour we are considering is generational favour. This type of favour is not obtained by personal effort. It is indirect.
Mephibosheth is a perfect example. When Jonathan was busy helping David and saving his life from his own father – Saul, he never knew he was laying a foundation for his generation. Jonathan went against his father’s will, which led David to the throne. David never promised Jonathan anything, he never mentioned that he would help Jonathan’s family when he gets to the throne, but Jonathan still did everything out of good will.
After Jonathan and Saul’s death, David was enthroned, and on a particular day in 2 Samuel 9:1, he asked a specific question, ‘is there yet anyone that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?’ Meanwhile, Mephibosheth the son of Saul was a forgotten soul. Even Ziba the servant described him as ‘man lame in his feet’.
David was not after his condition. He just wanted to bless anyone that came from Jonathan’s household, no matter how they looked or how sinful they were. Mephibosheth never expected what he heard from David because he knew his foundation. He fell on his face and did reverence. But David said unto him ‘I will surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father and thou shall eat bread at my table continually’.
I am very sure Mephibosheth would have been speechless, because he didn’t really deserve all the blessings he had received from David. He received unmerited favour he knew nothing about – a pure generational blessing which his father had laid unknowingly.
There is a great message for us to learn here. When we do good and we don’t get positive results for our kindness immediately, God is not sleeping. He is not blind not to see everything we laid down. When we lay wickedness, it is being recorded. When we lay good, it is being seen. Blessings are from generation to generation, likewise curses.
God’s favour is unlimited. It is from everlasting to everlasting. May God give us wisdom to sow in the right places, at the right time to the right people and may we obtain generational favour in Jesus name.
Amen.