Uncomfortable Favor

1 Kings 10:1-13

When the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon’s fame, which brought honor to the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions. (1 Kings 10:1)

“THEY WILL HONOR THE LORD your God . . . for he has filled you with splendor” (Isaiah 60:9). These words were prophesied to the captive people of Judah as a promise of future glory, but one reason they were so powerful was that they evoked images of past glory. The era of David and Solomon was Israel’s golden age, the time when the kingdom’s borders had expanded farther than ever before, and when God had established peace on every side (1 Kings 5:4). Many kingdoms had heard of Solomon’s fame, including the queen of Sheba, an Arab kingdom. They not only marveled at Solomon’s glory; they recognized that the favor given to him was a reflection of his God. People honored Israel’s God because of what they saw in his people. They recognized where success and prosperity had come from.

Solomon’s wisdom, wealth, power, and accomplishments were evidence of favor, material symbols of much richer blessings that adorned all of God’s people in a time of fruitfulness. A time would soon come when this glory was marred by division and distorted worship, but for the moment, the grandeur of Israel was a shining testimony of the glory of God. His people were in the very desirable position of reflecting God’s goodness simply by experiencing it.

Those seasons do come, even today, and even though we can be very uncomfortable with them. (Perhaps you’ve noticed how so many of us apologize for any hint of the “above and beyond” in our lives.) In your mission to honor God and reflect his glory, you will sometimes take center stage. There’s nothing wrong with that; you don’t need to cover every success with the awkward disclaimer that it’s because of him, not you. Your devotion to him will come through, and many people will make the connection that you are living in a season of his visible, tangible favor. If you haven’t been reluctant to glorify him in times of lack, don’t be afraid to ask him for times of abundance too. You have the privilege of honoring him in every season—no matter how good.

{Lord, so much of my experience has trained me to honor you in hard times and feel a little guilty about the good times. Let me grow comfortable in every form of your favor. May I honor you with complete contentment in every situation and reflect your goodness always. Amen.