Favor And Salvation Today

“May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may He look upon you with favor and give you peace.”— Numbers 6:24-26

It recently hit me that my high school senior will be leaving the nest in six months and moving out of state to college.

I’ve had several wise women, with adult children or college students themselves, who have given me advice about these next months and years. They nod with understanding, smile with empathy, hug me, and remind me that I will live and that I will be alright. And that’s the key I am finding— despite my son moving out and going a distance away, we will all live.

I think of all the times we say that we “need ______(fill in the blank) to live”. We need chocolate. We need that Chanel lipstick. We need our kids. We need our morning Starbucks. We need a facial. We need “me time”. We need “couple time”. It’s funny, when it gets right down to it—we really only need air to live.

I am in a women’s Bible Study and we are going through Kelly Minter’s “All Things New” Bible study. As we have been digging apart the book of 2 Corinthians, a statement she made jumped off the page today. She writes: “The day of God’s favor and the day of salvation are right now if you are breathing.” (emphasis mine)

This statement jostled that place in my heart that has been sore for awhile.

My kid is grown up. And he’s leaving us. HOW will we live without him around? What will that look like? Insert your own situation here— “My mom moved into a nursing home.” “My pre-schooler can’t potty train. “My spouse has left me.” “My life is going nowhere.” And so on… HOW will we live with these situations?

I ponder Kelly’s words because God speaks them to all of us, in situations where we don’t know HOW we are going to live: God’s favor is for us. Today. We are breathing, His salvation is for us: Today. We don’t have to worry about the future, because He walks with us daily, gifting us with His loving favor and salvation, no holds barred. We don’t have to worry about Today, because He’s got us in His capable hands. This free gift is ours for the taking. And we can be transformed by it. Gone are worry, fear, and anxiety, when we live with God’s favor and salvation TODAY. Instead we can bask in peace, joy, and hope.

Showered with these promises, how are you going to live? I am going to live TODAY. I am going to seek God today. I am going to bask in God’s love and salvation Today. As long as I breathe, that will be what I do each and every day, even when my son leaves home. How about you?

Prayer–“Gracious God, you gave me breath so I can live. Help me believe in your promise that as long as I live, the day of favor and salvation are Today. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”