More Favor for That Challenging Situation
Getting better at expecting and receiving help from God, for more victory and peace
Read this post on plaitra.substack.com or with the Substack app. To learn about Plaitra, please see the About page. To reach out, please email plaitra@substack.com, or comment on this post below.
Here are some recent posts:
Protection from the Invisible Enemy
Believing More, Receiving More
The Veil Was Torn, Come Closer
Getting More Power and Results from Meditation
Hi Everyone. This week’s post is different. It’s a more complete Plesson (A Plaitra lesson) that’s used for coaching, complete with the Application questions. This is post is also free for everyone. I hope you enjoy it.
And here’s just a note on where Plaitra is going. Imagine a site where you can go and get efficient, results-oriented, customized guidance on the Biblical knowledge and application you need. It will also be a place you can connect with others who have gone through things, and incorporate their input. Books and talks provide knowledge and direction. Plaitra connects the knowledge to your life.
(By the way, it looks like there is a different structure in this post, but it’s actually the same conceptual structure, with additional content, and edited for easier reading.)
As usual, see the Bible References & Commentary at the bottom.
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield. Psalm 5:12 (NKJV)
There is a difference between hearing a sermon on God’s favor, and being told you have it, versus actually believing and expecting it will come through in the midst of a challenging time—with peace.
(1) The Overview
(1-A) Receiving favor in greater detail
This Plesson (a Plaitra lesson) is about getting better at receiving God’s help, in the middle of difficult situations, versus just believing in it and hoping that it will happen. Christians know they should rely on God’s favor, but then challenges come, and there is a tendency to kind of put God to the side in the midst of the shaking. Here, we address what tends to happen during hard times, and how to apply Psalm 5:12 or similar Scriptures to see things improve in greater ways.
There is a difference between hearing a sermon on God’s favor, and being told you have it, versus actually believing and expecting it will come through in the midst of a challenging time—with peace. Situations here could include staking out new business ground with uncertainty, surprise health issues, or family instability. The worldly way is to walk through challenges “in our own strength” but Christians should be good at drawing on supernatural help.
(1-B) A large shield of protection
Getting more favor comes from understanding what it is, believing that God wants to give it to us, and aligning ourselves to actively receive it. Scripture tells us how God constantly blesses the righteous, and we have been made righteous to God through Jesus. One of the ways to renew our mind accordingly, is to meditate on Psalm 5:12 by speaking, on repeat, “You, O LORD, will bless me and surround me with favor as with a shield.” To the Israelites this was a large shield of favor that provided beneficial interactions with whoever they had to deal with, economic provision, and the “breathing room” for a peaceful atmosphere despite whatever battles they were facing.
For us, this means walking through challenges, knowing that God is providing what we need in for our modern problems. The “shield” of an Israelites might have included the goodwill of a tribesman or the rain that came at the right time. For us it could mean meeting the right people at the right time or getting that financial provision on time. Christians that are good at receiving favor, shouldn’t be stressed much in the middle of hard times. They have a deep trust that they will make it through, and expect to be in a better state than before. And it’s not about perfect faith, but a close relationship.
(1-C) Seeing more of the details
The hard parts of getting this Word into our mind and spirit deal with knowing how to connect it to what is going on in our lives, especially since we also have to walk through trials and opposition. God won’t just remove issues that we have to learn to overcome. So, for example, we might wonder why things aren’t going better overall, if we’re supposed to be living with a shield of favor.
But favor from God works alongside our development, not as some panacea that removes all difficulties. God doesn’t remove consequences, but aligns them for our good, according to our ultimate alignment with Him. So a shield of favor might include a trial period through which we learn what we need to for our future. And the closer we are to Him, the more we’ll see what we need to learn, and what we should expect as part of that shield.
And it can be hard to see the favor in the midst of a trial, through pain or uncertainty. That’s when knowing and standing on the Word comes in. For example, the word for favor in Psalm 5:12 is ratson, which is closely related to other favor words, but is especially based on God’s delight in us. The theology here can be complicated, but the ratson is ultimately based on a relationship, and a large part of that is knowing God’s incredible goodness.
(2) The Experience
(2-A) Believing, through knowledge and experience
The experience of receiving favor under pressure involves walking through the challenge, and having the knowledge and faith to trust in God for His help, in the midst of the details. It’s the practice of attending to our responsibilities, while truly believing that God will align the rest for our good. We take things one step at a time, taking care of the current step as best we can, and having a deep trust that it will all work out.
Our ability to do this depends on how much knowledge we have about God’s favor and how much we’ve experienced His goodness, or even other people’s goodness. Favor is a central part of who God is, in how He blesses people who are in a covenant with Him. It’s a central teaching in the Old Testament, carried into the New Testament, and made available to us in incredible ways through Jesus. Receiving more favor comes from things like understanding its Hebrew meanings, and how Jesus made it available to anyone who draws from Him.
(2-B) It will work out, and for our good
In the example of financial difficulty, believing in favor means believing that God is aligning circumstances and people for our provision and ultimate prosperity. He’s not distant, but watching over us and our details. Believing it could mean trusting that those expenses will be paid, because God will shield us from the effects of whatever attack, even though we see the attack going on. It’s like living with a constant “spiritual cover” as the uncertainty or instability of the world gets aligned for our benefit.
And the evidence of our ability to expect favor is peace amidst uncertainty. Peace is the evidence of faith. That comes from the ability to hold on to the Word of God in the midst of a difficult situation. And a big part of it comes from having experienced God’s help with detailed timing before. The active faith comes from knowledge and relationship. So if unexpected costs come, you don’t really start worrying about how it will get paid. God knew it would happen and He has already put a solution in place.
(2-C) The choice of those moments
There will probably still be stress, even with people who are really good at this. We’re obviously not God, so we typically don’t know how the favor will come. If that surprise expense or revenue drop comes, it feels uncomfortable and maybe even scary. We want to know where the money will come from, but the details of the help are up to God.
But scary situations don’t have to turn into fear or anxiety. There is a choice to make in the moment when we get the news and when we’re dealing with it. Our minds are for us to control. Someone who is good at expecting favor, rejects the “what-ifs,” and chooses the “God will help here, His favor surrounds me like a shield” thoughts, or another variation. Then it’s about knowing the problem will be solved, while doing what we can to solve it.
(3) The Application
The Plaitra Application helps people advance in this area through a set of questions that connect the topic to actual life. I hope you take the next step and answer these questions for yourself. Then consider emailing plaitra@substack.com for a review and discussion (that’s part of Section 4, 5, and 6).
(3-A) What do you need right now?
(3.1) What type of favor from God do you need more of in life? How much would you like to increase in your ability to believe in, expect, and receive that favor?
(3.2) Describe the situation behind why you need the favor from 3.1. Provide the relevant details of the key things that are going on here.
(3-B) What are you willing to do for it?
(3.3) What would be one or more steps you can take to increase in favor, as related to question 3.1? Be as specific as you can. Options here can include meditation on a verse or verses, learning more about it, and/or committing to changing how you about a situation.
(3.4) How do you think that your efforts in 3.3 might change the situation described in 3.2? You can include what you hope or think God might do, or not do. And try to include your well-being as a result of what might happen, or just as a result of changing your thoughts.
(3-C) How can you overcome the potential hard?
(3.5) What are some hard parts to consider here, particularly about your step in 3.3? This could include not knowing various things or the hard part of getting something done.
(3.6) What can you do to overcome the hard in 3.5? This can include taking steps to learn more about something, or making some life change, small or big.
Bible References & Commentary
This Psalm 5:21 verse is a powerful Scripture on favor, but the Bible is full of declarations and stories about it. It’s part of who God is and how He treats His people. And it’s what Jesus gives us through Him. Here are some major ones (in the NKJV):
Psalm 5:12: For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
Psalm 30:7: LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
Psalm 84:11: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 139:5: You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me.
Proverbs 8:35: For whoever finds me finds life, And obtains favor from the Lord.
Romans 5:17: For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
One of the ways to receive more favor is to look up the commentaries on these Scriptures, including the meaning of the words and the surrounding content. Or you can encourage yourself with Bible stories. The key is to get this Word into your mind and heart, with meditation, and then by walking it out.
Thank you for reading and using Plaitra. I invite you to engage with the content here on Substack, or email me at plaitra@substack.com.
- Anna Blaszczyk