Have you ever had a “favor ain’t fair, but it’s necessary” moment? Well, this past Valentine’s Day my husband and I did, and it made me smile.
We decided to go to Olive Garden in a nearby city for our date on the Friday before Valentine’s Day. I already knew it would be crowded since the big day was on a Sunday this year and most people would want to celebrate earlier. I wanted to beat the crowd. I tried to call and make reservations, but they told me they don’t reserve tables on the weekend. There went that plan to beat the crowd. Next I tried getting there early because the hostess told me on the phone that if we got there by 6:30 we would probably be served quicker. Well, that plan was a bust too. My hair was in desperate need of some TLC so I had to make it look as sexy as dirty hair can look for my date, which took quite a bit of time. It was about 7:00 when we finally left the house with a 45-minute drive ahead of us.
As we approached the restaurant our thoughts were confirmed. The parking lot was packed and we saw people waiting outside the front doors. I felt compelled to speak in faith at that moment.
“Watch and see. We won’t have to wait longer than ten minutes to get a table,” I said to my husband, knowing full well that this looked more like a 60-minute wait. Actually, we were told that it would be an hour and 15 minutes wait. Well, maybe we can hit up the mall across the street while we wait on our table I thought. Wrong! The hostess handed us the notification vibrating thingy and said that it wouldn’t work from that far away. She did tell us that we could wait at the bar which was first come first serve and get half off a glass of wine while we waited. Well seeing as how the lobby had standing room only, we made our way to the bar area in hopes that we could use that coupon for a non-alcoholic drink also and that maybe just maybe there would be two available seats. Wrong again. The bar was packed and the best we could do was huddle together between the bar crowd and the booth seating behind it.
That’s when God turned it.
A couple had just gotten up from the booth directly behind us. My husband thought it would be a good idea to just sit down at the booth while we waited. We intended to get up as soon as the rightful occupants came over. Besides, the table hadn’t even been cleaned off yet. The next thing we know, the waiter came over, wiped off the table, and asked us what we wanted to order. I believe in doing the right thing, so much so that I would refuse to lie about my age when I was younger just to get an under 12 discount. I gave him a not- so-sure look and was about to tell him that our buzzer thingy hadn’t gone off yet, but he interrupted saying, “You can either wait another hour or let me take your order.” We let him take our order.
We waited less than 10 minutes. We had a good time, a good meal, and were out of there in the time it would have taken us to get a table. I call that the favor of God. Numbers 6:25 of the Amplified Bible says…
The Lord make His face shine upon you [with favor],
And be gracious to you [surrounding you with lovingkindness];
I realize how unfair that was to the people waiting their turn to be seated, but I also realize how necessary it is for God’s Word to be demonstrated in the lives of His children. He said in Mark 11:23 that if we have the God kind of faith, we can have whatever we say. I merely spoke what I wanted into the atmosphere (releasing faith) truly believing that God could move on our behalf and my faith worked. Yours can too! God is not a respecter of persons. When we do things His way, (by faith) He’s moved to honor our faith just like He did for Abraham who staggered not at the promise (to become the father of many nations) through unbelief. He’s just GOOD and FAITHFUL like that.
What is it that you need to release faith for? I dare you to take God at His Word and speak favor over your situation. It may take time to develop this kind of faith, but the more you practice this principle the more you will see the favor of God released through your positive confession.
I’m sure God has already honored your faith at some point before and made you smile as well, and I’d like to hear about it. In what ways has God shown you favor? Leave your comment here on my website in the box below.
that God gave me His best when He gave me my husband, I’d be lying if I said that situations have never risen to challenge that belief. There have been those tough moments after a disagreement or after something didn’t go my way that I pondered very briefly if God’s choice was the right choice because of the way things “seemed”. And I’m willing to bet that I’m not the only one who can relate to these bouts of doubt, now am I?
y 16th is a day that I will always remember. It’s the day that I launched my first book Wait on God in 2015 and the day one year later that my book had been recognized as one of “the best Christian-themed books published during the past year” in the third annual Illumination Book Awards contest, receiving a bronze medal in the Christian Living category.
