Psalm 69:13

Psalm 69:13

The time of God's favour

Let us be clear here, there are times when God shows His favour to mankind, or to groups and nations within the human race. There are also times when His favour is withdrawn. Israel was familiar with this concept. If they obeyed God’s commands and kept His laws, they were promised prosperity and health, and all would be well with them. If they disobeyed, turned away and lived for themselves, the Lord withdrew His blessing. This happened on a number of occasions, indeed their relationship with the Lord God was a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, and at times His patience with them was sorely tried. Captivity in Babylon was one of the lows, as was the 400 years prior to Christ when the nation drifted into idolatry and religious ritual, ending in a pact with Rome and the eventual diaspora.

The 2,000 years that have passed, since Yeshua was with us on earth, have been a similar experience for the Gentile nations. Those early years of apostolic passion were eventually followed by the Dark Ages. The 19thand early 20th century expansion of the church in Europe and America, through evangelism and missionary endeavours, has now waned and churches are in decline. In today’s world, God’s favour rests upon the countries in the southern hemisphere where acceptance of the Christian faith is expanding at an amazing speed. 

In this verse, Yeshua recognises the will of God in all things. He longs to know that God’s favour is upon Him and that His Father will listen to His cries. Has that not been the case in the previous years of His time on earth? Yeshua knows that His Father’s heart beats with love for Him and for this world and, despite the suffering He must endure, God will answer because His salvation is sure. Paul picks up on this verse in 2 Corinthians 6:2 as he writes, “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.” It is still not too late for our world!!

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