"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
(Luke 2:14)
When Jesus was born, there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch
over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord
shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid.
I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of
David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You
will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and
saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
If you are reading this, God's favor rests upon you and that will bring peace to you amidst
all the troubles that you face in this chaotic world.
It's not a trivial matter if God's favor has rested upon you. The Apostle Peter puts it this
manner:
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not
received mercy, but now you have received mercy. (1 Peter 2:9, 10)
The Psalmist prays,
May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us -
yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17)
The Bible says,
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing
does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. (Psalm 84:11)
Yes, we are the people of God and God's favor rests upon us. Let us rejoice that God has
chosen us as a people for himself, that we have received mercy and that we are a people
belonging to him.
