The Favor you need
For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
Psalms 5:12
Our verse for today tells us that the righteous, those forgiven by God, are blessed. What are the blessings of the righteous? The Bible mentions so many of them that they can't all be listed. The sons of Korah, however, sum them all up by saying in Psalm 84:11 that, "No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." The righteous, in other words, are blessed with whatever it is they need.
The verse for today mentions one particular blessing that the righteous receive. They will be surrounded with favor as with a shield. Just as a shield surrounds the one who holds it up and protects him from harm on the battlefield, so the Lord will surround the righteous with favor so that they will be protected from harm in life. If a person has the favor of the Lord, then good things happen to that person despite the circumstances. Here's just one example from the Bible: Although Noah lived at the time of the Great Flood, he found favor with God. For him, the favor of God meant that he and his family were spared from the devastation of the flood (Genesis 6:8).
The righteous receive favor like Noah not because they walk in sinless perfection, but because they have sought forgiveness for their sins. The Lord does not look upon the self-righteous with favor, but those who are "humble and contrite in spirit" (Isaiah 66:2).
Today, come before the Lord with a humble and contrite spirit and ask for the same thing the Psalmist asked for: "I seek earnestly for your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise" (Psalm 119:58).
The verse for today mentions one particular blessing that the righteous receive. They will be surrounded with favor as with a shield. Just as a shield surrounds the one who holds it up and protects him from harm on the battlefield, so the Lord will surround the righteous with favor so that they will be protected from harm in life. If a person has the favor of the Lord, then good things happen to that person despite the circumstances. Here's just one example from the Bible: Although Noah lived at the time of the Great Flood, he found favor with God. For him, the favor of God meant that he and his family were spared from the devastation of the flood (Genesis 6:8).
The righteous receive favor like Noah not because they walk in sinless perfection, but because they have sought forgiveness for their sins. The Lord does not look upon the self-righteous with favor, but those who are "humble and contrite in spirit" (Isaiah 66:2).
Today, come before the Lord with a humble and contrite spirit and ask for the same thing the Psalmist asked for: "I seek earnestly for your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise" (Psalm 119:58).