His Favor

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper Thy work and defend thee
Surely His goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.

I've been learning about the Lord's favor for the past few months, and these past few sunny summer days I think I've experienced it in a way that was nearly tangible. It was like a joy, a pleasure, coming from somewhere else, on a regular, otherwise not noteworthy day. It reminded me of these verses.

"But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may you shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.
For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord,
You surround him with favor as with a shield."
Psalm 5:11-12

Here's something I've learned about the Lord's favor: He favors me above those who are not His children because He sees Christ in me, and He loves Christ so much. His favor doesn't surround me because I have surrendered so many tokens of affection at His feet. I have such a puny faculty for love that I probably couldn't give much love if it weren't for His leading in my life. I want to show Him love, but I found out that He just loves me and loves me regardless of my oaths and offices. In sum, I don't have to worry about losing His favor. Instead, I:

Ponder anew what the Almighty will do
If with his love He befriend me.

Lyrics from "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty," written by Joachim Neander (1650-1680) and translated by Catherine Winkworth