A prayer of favour for the new year

Thank you so much for your kind words, and prayers following last week’s post.

I’m so glad that my story resonated with you.

Seeing how my story has encouraged you to obey and trust God even when things don’t make sense is truly a privilege. If you haven’t read it yet, ​you can do so here. ​

May God give us the grace and strength to remain steadfast and firmly encased in His bountiful arms. Amen.

So, I recently read a story in the book of Jeremiah that reminded me of the power of favour.

Favour is one of those blessings we Christians covet, though we do not always know or understand the mechanics of it.

One scripture that often comes to mind when I think of favour is Luke 2:52 which says:

“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Luke 2:52 (NKJV)

A few things struck me about this verse:

1. You can grow in favour.
2. There is a favour that comes from God and one that comes from men.
3. If our Saviour and Lord also experienced favour, then it is a powerful thing for us to experience.

The stories from Jeremiah chapters 39 and 40 highlight the power of the favour that comes from men.

The prophet’s story revealed that sometimes our favour can come from the most unexpected sources. In the Prophet Jeremiah’s case, he got favour from those who opposed his people.

Here’s what happened.

A Story of Favour in Unexpected Places

In Jeremiah chapter 39, we learn that the Kind of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, had besieged Judah and taken its elites into exile.

But before the king left, he made an unusual request regarding the prophet Jeremiah.

“King Nebuchadnezzar had told Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, to find Jeremiah. “See that he isn’t hurt,” he said. “Look after him well, and give him anything he wants.””

Jeremiah 39:11-12 NLT

At this time, Jeremiah had been imprisoned by the King of Judah because of the prophecies he had spoken, which were of doom and destruction. His prophecy had even warned the people of the coming invasion from Babylon, but they failed to listen, but rather beat and imprisoned him (Jeremiah 38:4-7)

Firstly, this is confirmation that King Nebuchadnezzar was indeed sent by the Lord to invade Jerusalem.

Secondly, those who know you may not always be the ones who help you. Isn’t it interesting that the prophet of God received help from an enemy of Judah?

It doesn’t end here.

As Nebuzaradan, the captain of the Babylonian guard prepared to return to Babylon, he said this to Jeremiah:

“….The Lord your God has brought this disaster on this land, just as he said he would. For these people have sinned against the Lord and disobeyed him. That is why it happened. But I am going to take off your chains and let you go. If you want to come with me to Babylon, you are welcome. I will see that you are well cared for. But if you don’t want to come, you may stay here. The whole land is before you—go wherever you like.”

Jeremiah 40:2-4 NLT

The first time I read this portion of chapter 40, I had to pause for a few minutes to let it sink in.

I encourage you to do the same.

Do you know what it means when someone who should ordinarily hate or want to harm you does the opposite, especially when he is willing to go the extra mile for you with no conditions attached?

See, there are kind and good people, but many times, you may find that “favours” are extended with some expectation of reciprocity.

But in the story of Nebuzaradan and Jeremiah, there was very little the prophet had to offer to the Babylonian, yet he was willing to do more than was required of him by the King of Babylon.

Our Prayer of Favour

I hope you are as encouraged as I was when I read the above scriptures.

For the rest of 2024 and into 2025, I pray that we experience the kind of favour where our enemies or those who ought to be our enemies go out of their way to help and support us.

May we enjoy a blank cheque of blessings just as Nebuzaradan offered Jeremiah.

In all these things, I pray that 2025 is the year we renew our consecration to the Lord.

May it be the year we:

• Rest in God
• Trust God
• Follow God
• Obey Him, and
• Love him.

May we pursue God like never before, knowing that those who seek Him with all their hearts will always find Him. (Jeremiah 29:13).

Amen