The Favor of God

 “…And Esther found favor in the sight of all who saw her.” – Esther 2:15 (AMP)

Some of you may have sung that familiar praise song that begins with the words, “The favor of God is upon me…”; but how many of you have sung it without truly believing those words? It is time to bring those words from your mouth into your heart.

That is what Esther did. Even though the name of God is not mentioned in the account of Esther’s story, her belief that the favor of God was upon her is evident and when the time came for Esther to draw on that favor, she did so without fear.

Aware of her predecessor’s fate, Esther, finding herself in a precarious situation, boldly declared, “though it is strictly forbidden, I will go in to see the king; and if I perish, I perish” (see Esther 4:16) and then confidently approached the king knowing that she was risking her life.

The king received Esther favorably and her life was spared, after all “the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” – Esther 2:17 (ESV)

When you know and believe that you have the favor of God, you’re not fearful of approaching the Throne of the king and of the King of kings. Like Esther, if you find yourself in dire straits, before seeking natural favor, seek God for supernatural favor.

Natural favor is special treatment earned from some people sometimes, but supernatural favor is a gift from God that will cause you to be specially treated by everyone that lays their eyes on you.

Esther found both “favor and good success in the sight of God and man”. (see Proverbs 3:3-4)

You must remember that as a young Jewish orphan living in Persia in the time of Jewish captivity, the odds were stacked against Esther from the start. But God had given Esther favor and elevated her in a way that was humanly unthinkable – she married the king and became Queen of Persia – positioning her to carry out His will.

Esther did not have the best beginning, but she certainly had the greatest of endings. So do not despair if what you’re going through right now seems a hapless situation, instead, be confident that despite how utterly hopeless things may be looking from a human perspective, God can lift you out of the deepest pit. You have been given the favor of God.

The human perspective screams that there is no way out but never forget that God’s ways are vastly different from your own (see Isaiah 55:8). God has an awesome vantage point where He sees the end from the beginning (see Isaiah 46:10).

Beloved, you’re not able to imagine how things could ever turn out good but God already has the best solution to your problem; a solution you cannot begin to conceive “however, as the scripture says, What no one ever saw or heard, what no one ever thought could happen, is the very thing God prepared for those who love him.” (see 1 Corinthians 2:9). That’s the favor of God.

The favor of God is boundless, eternal, and available, all you have to do is believe and press on with complete confidence, knowing that He has already provided divine favor for every situation.

Amen†

Shelley Johnson “The Favor of God” © 2016 revisited July 21, 2025