God’s favor is unmerited grace and mercy shown and experienced by individuals. The Bible stresses the kindness and favor of God that is expressed through Jesus Christ. God demonstrates this favor throughout the Bible. One of the greatest marvels of God’s favor is that He freely gives this grace to individuals who do not deserve it.
In the Old Testament is the story of a man named Jacob. From the beginning of his life, Jacob enjoyed the favor of God. He had a twin brother who was named Esau. Esau and Jacob were exact opposites. Isaac preferred his son Esau, because he was a man of the fields and flocks, but God had favor on Jacob. As a result, Esau and Jacob were constantly in conflict with each other. When Isaac was near the end of his life, he had planned to bless Esau above his brother. Rebekah heard of this plan and devised a scheme for Jacob to receive the blessing instead of Esau. When Jacob received the blessing and heritage of Abraham, Isaac sent him to Padan Aram to take himself a wife. Esau was enraged that his brother had stolen his birthright and blessing.
In the Book of Genesis 28, Jacob went out from Beersheba running from his brother Esau, and went toward Haran. Weary from the journey, he came to a certain place and stayed there all night. As far as Jacob could tell, nothing was special about the place. He took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of an open heaven. The angels of God were ascending and descending on that place.
Genesis 28:13-15 NKJV And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.”
This is an amazing word of God’s favor. Each of us have been promised and given this kind of favor through the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
God has made promises to be with you, keep you, and never leave you until He has done what He has spoken.
Genesis 28:16–17 NKJV Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Something must happen for us to become aware of the glory and presence of God.
One moment Jacob was making his bed on common ground. He was covered in dust from a hard journey. His body was exhausted and he laid on the ground and took a stone and put it at his head as a pillow. When he dreamed, God opened heaven and His glory transformed that place to the house of God and the gate of heaven. It became a place where God was known. God can come down where you are and transform that place into a house of His favor and blessing.
In the wilderness Israel camped around the presence of God, (Exodus 13).
Jacob’s twelve sons and their descendants had been slaves in Egypt for some 400 years.
The promise that God had made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was still standing. God is faithful to His promise of favor and grace. He had promised to give them peace, a future and a hope. The Land of Promise still lay unclaimed. It was time for Jacob’s family to be brought into the blessing of God’s favor, so, God sent Moses to lead His people out. By a mighty hand and outstretched arm God brought them out. From the moment the people walked out of Egypt, they were constantly made aware of God’s glory and power.
Almighty God went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.
It would be difficult to miss the fact that God was with them. The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire never left its place in front of the people. The one thing that distinguished the camp of Israel was the glorious presence of Almighty God. In God’s presence, the multitude enjoyed the blessing and benefit of God’s favor. The blessing was so great that every nation heard about God’s presence and the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. Jacob’s descendants were constantly before the face of God. They were a people of the presence of God. It was the presence of God among His people that brought them the victory over their enemies.
Miracles, signs and wonders were a testimony to everyone that God was present.
Something glorious happens when heaven is opened.
The atmosphere of heaven is surrounded and filled with the presence of God. When heaven opens, the glory of God is revealed among men.
When Isaiah saw heaven opened he said, “The Lord was seated on a high and exalted throne. The hem or fringe of His robe filled the temple.” (Isaiah 6:1)
In God’s presence the angels were crying “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His Glory,” (Isaiah 6:4, Isaiah 6:18).
Ezekiel had an open heaven experience and he saw the Lord.
Ezekiel 1:27-28 NKJV Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
John was baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
The angel of the Lord told Zechariah that his son, John, would go out and minister in the spirit and power of Elijah. All the land of Judea and people from Jerusalem came out to be baptized by John in the Jordan River. John’s ministry and baptism was having tremendous results and many people were turning to God from sin. One day as John was baptizing, Jesus came to be baptized by John.
Mark 1 tells us what happened when Jesus was baptized.
Mark 1:9–11 NIV84 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
When heaven was torn open, John said, “the Spirit came down from heaven as a dove and remained on Jesus,” (John 1:32).
From that moment, Jesus went in the power of the Spirit and news about Him spread everywhere.
Luke 4:18-19 tells us what was happening.
Jesus said: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
After the heavens were torn open and the Spirit descended, Jesus ministered in the mind, will and power of the Father for the Spirit was on Him.
The glory, grace and favor of the Father was upon the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result of the Spirit of God resting on Him, Jesus did many miraculous signs, wonders, and miracles. John 2:11 tells us, His miraculous signs revealed His glory. Every miracle revealed the glory of heaven.
John said: “We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Everywhere Jesus went, He did many wonderful works and miracles. “We have seen His glory.”
How are we going to find this place where heaven is open to us and the glory of God is revealed among us? How are we to get to the place where we discern the heart-beat, mood, and mind of God? How are we to know what He is doing and thinking?
2 Corinthians 3:16–17 NIV84 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Whenever anyone turns to the Lord, heaven is open and the veil is taken away.
2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV84 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
God is opening heaven for us.
By the Holy Spirit, heaven is opened and the Lord’s glory is being reflected on us. Every act of obedience reveals the glory of God. When you do acts of obedience, heaven’s power is released.
It is fascinating to observe the times that heaven has been opened.
Whenever we read of those events, our hearts and minds are filled with the awe of God’s majesty and glory. Every time God’s presence has been made known, great and wonderful things happened.
It is not enough to learn about the glory and presence of God.
God is prepared to come near to you and show you His glory. When we come into His presence, we are going to be transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
God wants to open heaven on His church.
He wants to show us His glory, and He wants to reflect His glory through us. In His presence we will know the bounty of His favor. He wants to pour upon us the Spirit and take us by the Spirit into His presence.
Many of us started hearing the voice of God because He wanted to use us.
We did not realize that He also wanted to draw us into deep fellowship with Him. He wants to draw us to that place where we know Him and His glory.
God is not satisfied with the breach that was caused by Adam’s sin.
Adam lost that intimate fellowship with God.
The Lord wants to bring us back into a full and free fellowship of His presence and glory.
He wants to take us into a place where we dwell in the overflow of His presence and in the bounty of His favor. He wants to show you His mind and heart. He wants to cause you to know the immeasurable richness of His love. This is where we know Him and are known of Him.
God wants you to live with a constant awareness of the Spirit’s presence, mind and power upon our lives.
How are we to do this?
2 Corinthians 3:16 NIV84 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
God has made a way for us to get into the place where His presence and glory are known. He wants to show you His favor in His Presence.
