For You, O Lord, bless the righteous man [the one who is in right standing with You]; You surround him with favor as with a shield.  (Ps 5:2 AMP)

And so find favor and high esteem in the sight of God and man.  (Pro 3:4)

. . . but his favor is like dew on the grass.  (Pro 19:12 b)

Favor is approval of, preference for or goodwill toward one individual bestowed upon them either by another person or by the Lord God.  The verses above all talk about God’s favor.  According to the Bible, God’s favor is upon His people, and actually surrounds us much like a shield.

What does a shield do?  In Bible times, shields were usually “anointed” (Isa 21:5b), in order to preserve them, and at the same time to make the missiles of the enemy glide off of them more readily.  These [Roman] shields were very large; the largest could have been 3-1/2 feet tall by 3 feet wide!  They were rectangular and curved outward, so as to protect the person behind it, and they could repel attacks without transmitting the full force of the assault to the shield-holder.  In the center of the shield, on the side facing the opponent, was a large metal knob or projection [boss].  It was able to deflect even the more vicious blows and operate in a limited offensive capacity as a means of knocking an opponent backwards.

God’s favor upon His people operates in a similar fashion to a shield, except that it is larger, stronger, and imbued with the supernatural power of God.  When the enemy attacks us, the favor of God acts like a boomerang and sends that attack back where it came from!

God’s favor is irresistible, irrefutable, and inexorable—it is God making a way for us when there seems to be no way.  It is when our Savior turns a situation which looks like it will ruin us into an occasion for shouting and rejoicing over God’s deliverance and salvation.  It becomes an opportunity for a testimony of His love, mercy, and goodness.  Glory to God!

“For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to the light.”  (Mk 4:22)

The English Standard Version of this verse says it this way:  For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.

I saw the above verse in a new light recently due to reading it in various versions, which kind of opened my eyes to it.  A verse that is similar to it is Luke 8:17.

“For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, neither hidden that will not be made known and come into the open.”  (Lk 8:17 Aramaic Bible in Plain English)

The Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary has this to say about Mark 4:22:

“I have privately expounded to you these great truths, but only that ye may proclaim them publicly; and if ye will not, others will. For these are not designed for secrecy. They are imparted to be diffused abroad, and they shall be so; yea, a time is coming when the most hidden things shall be brought to light.”

For me, these verses disclose that God, our Savior will reveal things to us.  They may be:  1) facts we need to know in relation to our jobs or business success; 2) information we need concerning our children or our family relationships; 3) wisdom for our marriages; or 4) a book, study or report that shows us an answer to a challenge that we’ve been facing. 

Revelation wisdom and knowledge may come through a friend; an overheard remark; a phone call; or some other unexpected means.  One thing for sure is that we have a Savior who loves us and meets all of our needs.  How privileged we are!

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.  (Ps 1:2)

Do you find delight in the Bible?  This Psalmist declares that he delights in the word so much that he meditates upon it and thinks about it all of the time—literally!

Most of us can find delight in our children; or in a certain sports team; or a wonderful movie . . . even a favorite meal.  But have we trained our appetite in such a way that we derive great pleasure from reading the word and meditating upon it?

We can prime ourselves to love and rejoice in God’s word by drawing closer to God.  That can be achieved through prayer, praise and worship, and simply quietly listening for His voice and His wisdom to be imparted to us after we have spent time in the word. 

After accustoming ourselves with the word, and receiving answered prayer because of praying according what we know the word says, then we will definitely begin to have a deep appreciation for God’s word.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  (Ps 37:4)

As for the saints who are on the earth, “They are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.”  (Ps 16:3)

As Psalm 16:3 says, God delights in His saints and God notices when we delight in His word and in Him!  When we delight in Him, he gives us the desires of our heart.