In the past couple of months, FAM Fellowship members have witnessed an incredibly amazing example of God pouring out His supernatural favor in the life of one of our members, and since Amy’s testimony is so interesting and encouraging, I’ve requested and received her permission to share a little of it here, even though this is quite a departure from my usual SOF posts! But it probably won’t have the same impact just reading it now as it has had on all of us as we actually watched it all play out before our very eyes over the past few months!

Amy and SNO (spouse name omitted) first met when she was fourteen years old, but their relationship got off to a very rocky start to say the least! SNO was a new student at Amy’s school, and Amy’s mother just happened to be one of his teachers, but he didn’t know that. And just by seeing Amy as she visited her mother in the classroom, SNO developed a BIG crush on her and made the huge mistake of bragging about a totally fabricated “conquest” within earshot of her mother, even though Amy didn’t even know him! Needless to say, he was very embarrassed when Amy’s mom asked him if he had enjoyed his “weekend” with her daughter, and Amy thought he was a total jerk when she found out about it! But despite all that, they became best friends, even though they both dated other people right up until SNO stopped her as she was on the way out the door (about nine and a half years ago) to pick up her boyfriend at the airport, who was coming home on leave from military duty. Apparently SNO was afraid she was getting too serious about someone else, because he declared his love and they got married three weeks later! Amy and SNO were such close friends that they always had problems in other relationships, because their boyfriends and girlfriends would always get jealous and feel threatened by their close friendship. And looking back now; it appears they all had good reason, even though Amy and SNO didn’t think so at the time! Yet, one of Amy’s friends recently reminded her that the very first time she saw SNO, she told her friend “I’m going to marry that boy.” Of course, her friend naturally thought she was crazy at the time!

SNO developed a very successful business; they had a nice home, nice cars and three beautiful little ones, so they appeared to be living out the American dream! But Amy quite openly acknowledges now that she was a very contentious wife and didn’t know anything about honoring and respecting her husband; and there was NO way she was going to submit to him about anything! She fiercely objected to everything he wanted to do (or wanted her to do), and even fought him all the way as he became interested and involved in evangelical ministry. Needless to say, their whole world came crashing down around their ears when SNO got involved with a NCP (non-covenant person) and left about a year ago. He got caught up in a lifestyle that made it impossible for him to work, so they lost everything, and since SNO wasn’t providing any kind of support, Amy and the kids had to move in with her parents; and it’s a very small and crowded house. She went to work part time as a hairdresser, because she couldn’t afford child care and her parents worked full time, which meant she could only work when they were available to watch the kids.

The following is an excerpt from Amy’s introduction, which she posted when she joined the FAM Fellowship last February: “SNO left 7 months ago and for 10 days I did nothing but cry and feel sorry for myself until one night I cried out to the Lord. I fell to the floor and He put His arms around me telling me that He was there and to stand up. He showed me that night that He was there to help me through this and restore my marriage. Since that time I have grown stronger.” And since the time Amy became a part of our family, she has been a breath of fresh air, because she’s always been quite spunky, steadfastly focused on God’s power and promise and determined to find the praise in EVERYTHING! In all honesty, I think she often amazes us all with the way she manages to find praise for the Lord in things that certainly don’t appear to be all that praise worthy! But Amy has ALWAYS managed to find and proclaimed the praise and to see God in everything, no matter how bad or discouraging it might appear. And she has always been very adamant that the devil wasn’t going to get his way or going to trick her into buying any of his lies! Needless to say, Amy has provided all of us a great deal of amusement and entertainment; not to mention an abundance of joy and encouragement as we’ve watched her grow in her walk and relationship with the Lord. And we’re now blessed to see how the Lord has in turn supernaturally blessed and rewarded her steadfast faithfulness and obedience.

Amy’s part time job barely enabled her to keep up with her bills and there’s no way she could have managed without her parents. But the house has been very overcrowded and there has been a great deal of tension in the home, especially since her parents don’t approve of her stand for marriage restoration and were upset that she refused to pursue child support from her husband. Of course, their lives had been turned upside-down as well, so that’s really understandable since they love their daughter and none of us like to see someone we love hurt or mistreated.

As the tension continued to mount, Amy became even more determined than ever to find a place of her own, but there was no way she could afford it…or so it seemed! At one point, she had saved money to move, but SNO had access to the bank account and without her knowledge, spent that money too. But Amy didn’t let that discourage her or deter her determination to get a home for her family! And somewhere along the way, SNO and the NCP started having serious problems. She had been working and basically supporting them, but she lost her job and then continued to lose one job after another after that. And even when SNO would get a job, it never lasted more than a day or so. Yet Amy remained confident that he would get a job and help pay for her to move!

Then about two months ago, she found out about a subsidized housing apartment complex, so she went to look at the apartments and put in an application, even though there really wasn’t any hope in this world that she could qualify, especially since she had been turned down four months earlier at another apartment complex, because of a bad credit report. AS Amy does just about everywhere she goes, she ended up talking to the apartment manager about her faith in God for the restoration of her marriage, and as a result struck up quite a friendship with the manager, who even said she wants to come to Amy’s Home Group meetings, which she’ll host after she gets moved! She was told at that time that it would probably take at least six months for an apartment to come available, because she was second on the list and three bedroom apartments didn’t come up very often. But just three days later, they called to tell her an apartment had opened up, and that if the other lady didn’t want it or didn’t qualify, she would get it! Well, to my way of thinking, it was a good thing there was someone else ahead of her, because there just wasn’t any way she could afford to move, much less pay the rent! But to everyone’s amazement, another apartment opened up just two days later and the approval process began in earnest! The first shock was when her credit report came back and they said it was fine, but they needed a little more information, which Amy was able to obtain, though challenging. She had to provide references from two additional creditors and she could only think of one, which was her storage unit. But when she told her dad, he reminded her that she had purchased some things from his storage business in another state a few years earlier and that she had paid on that over a period of time so they could give her a letter to that effect. Then they wanted copies of her bank statements, which I thought would present a real problem, because there wasn’t much money going through there, and there certainly wasn’t enough there to pay her deposits and first month’s rent; but that passed somehow too! They verified her employment and income and then said all they needed was a notarized statement from SNO stating that he would be giving her x number of dollars a month. Well, that was all well and good, but it certainly wasn’t worth much since he hadn’t been giving her a penny for about a year; and had in fact been taking money from her every week for gas money “so he could work!” But they accepted that and finally submitted her application for final approval, only to have it come back ONE POINT UNDER THE MINIMUM SCORE required for approval! But the apartment manager went to bat for Amy and convinced the home office to approve her anyway!! Then the woman who was supposed to vacate “Amy’s apartment” had to stay two weeks longer, because the closing on her new house was delayed, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief! I just knew the Lord was giving Amy more time for SOMETHING to happen! And it did!

Amy got a call from someone she knows who works at a daycare center and she told her she didn’t know if she would consider it or not, but there was a job opening there and they were ready to hire right away! To make a long story short, which includes much more amazing evidence of God’s supernatural favor on Amy’s behalf; she got the job! And ONLY God could have worked out all of the details as He has. The daycare center is just five minutes away from her daughter’s school and just two driveways away from her new apartment! And child care is not an issue with this job, because her kids get to go and she pays half price for the two youngest ones and nothing for the after school care for her oldest. And when the child care vouchers she has applied for come through, she won’t have to pay anything for child care and she’ll make enough money at that point to manage her apartment and bills entirely on her own! Then Amy was concerned about her young daughter having to ride the bus to the daycare center after school, but it turned out that the bus doesn’t go there. But that ended up being a blessing too, because one of her friend’s daughter goes to the same school, so she’s going to pick Amy’s daughter up and bring her to the daycare center each day! And since the school is so close to where she works, she has time to drop her daughter off in the morning before going to work. And she only works four days a week, which means she gets a day off each week and her kids can be in daycare, so she will have that time to do what she needs or wants to without worrying about the kids!

But Amy still needed a considerable amount of money to move and she wasn’t going to get that from her new job and SNO still wasn’t working more than a rare day or so here and there. And things on the home front got even more unpleasant when Amy’s mother said SNO could no longer come to their house and that if he wanted to see his kids, they would have to make other arrangements. And one night soon after that (about two weeks ago), Amy says she was just “hormonal”, and SNO was being rather unpleasant; complaining that he didn’t have many choices and actually accused her of just thinking of herself (rather outrageous under the circumstances!) so she lost it, which she RARELY does! And even though she felt bad about it later, it proved to be a very good thing indeed (Romans 8:28 once again saved the day); because she ended up telling him about all the things in her life that SHE didn’t have any choices about! Well, something she said must have gotten through to him, because he called her the next day and told her about some changes he intended to make; including that he had called someone he knew and had a job lined up and that he WOULD have the money she needed to move! And he’s managed to stick this one out and even took another part time job. He told her he would have the money she needed to move and he did, even though she only got it the day before she had to have it, which was this past Tuesday! And he gave her his entire paycheck to do that! And even though she doesn’t believe he was aware of it (he had left the money at home over the weekend), the amount he gave her was considerably short of what he had promised, but it was still just enough for what she HAD to have! And she’ll get her first paycheck today; the day before she moves, which will give her the gas money she will need until her next paycheck! So God has certainly been pouring out His favor on her! And Amy and her kids will be moving into a spacious, beautiful three bedroom, two bath home of their own tomorrow (and it’s bigger than the house they’re in now with three other adults), even though it shouldn’t even be possible! As someone who used to work in apartment management; I can assure you that this whole thing really defies belief! There’s no way they could verify that she could afford this apartment, because she COULDN’T when she started this process, and she had absolutely NO REASON TO BELIEVE SHE WOULD EVEN HAVE THE MONEY FOR THE DEPOSITS AND RENT (or to pay the rent once she moved)! But Amy’s unshakeable faith in God and His power and promise told her otherwise and she NEVER wavered; no matter what obstacles kept popping up!

In the meanwhile, a little over a week ago, the people that were supposed to move out of the first apartment that came available after Amy was added to the list decided not to move after all! So the lady that was supposed to get that apartment thought she would get “Amy’s apartment” instead and that Amy would have to go back on the list, and it sort of seems like it should have been that way. But the apartment manager told her they had already given the apartment to someone else and she would just go back on the top of the list! Well, she didn’t like that very much and complained about it to the district manager and as incredible as it is to believe, she back the manager and told the woman the same thing! Now that’s got to be proof of God’s favor and hand at work! And this past Sunday, SNO and the NCP got a seven day eviction notice (and that’s after a court hearing earlier this month), so they have to be out this weekend…the SAME weekend Amy is moving! And since SNO gave Amy all of his paycheck for last week, it’s hard to imagine how they’re going to be able to move. Even if they come up with the money, they both have bad credit reports now, terrible employment histories, far from a good reference from the previous landlord, and none of SNO’s family or friends will let him stay with them as long as the NCP is with him, and her family lives in another state. So it looks like God is definitely turning up the heat on SNO and it’s really hard to believe his wife and children will be alone in their new home for very long, especially since SNO is very concerned that Amy will be interested in dating now that she’s out on her own!!! Of course, she has told him that the ONLY man she will ever date is him!

There are a LOT more details in Amy’s amazing testimony that I just don’t have room to share here. But as I’ve watched it all play out over the past days, and witnessed some other amazing examples of God’s favor in the lives of other FAM Fellowship members (including mine); I started contemplating God’s favor more and was very eager to do a topical study about it. And I was quite surprised to find how many references the Bible has to the disaster that came upon people who had not ASKED or SOUGHT God’s favor! And then, of course, it was interesting to see what we experience as a result of God’s favor too and how he CAUSES us to have favor with others. So my study has made me much more aware of our need to ask for and to expect to receive God’s favor in our lives, and the following passages of scripture are just a few to help us all better understand and appreciate the incredible blessings of God’s favor. So read them and study them, and be blessed an encouraged, because as I once heard someone say, it looks like having God’s favor is just like being “under the glory spout, where the glory comes out!” And I love how often God’s favor is discussed in terms of restoration, deliverance and salvation!

Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

2 Kings 13:4
Then Jehoahaz sought the LORD’s favor, and the LORD listened to him, for he saw how severely the king of Aram was oppressing Israel.

Isaiah 49:8
This is what the LORD says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances,

2 Chronicles 33:11-13
So the LORD brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. In his distress he sought the favor of the LORD his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. And when he prayed to him, the LORD was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD is God.

Luke 1:25
“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Job 33:26
He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.

Psalm 5:12
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.

Psalm 69:13
But I pray to you, O LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation.

Psalm 84:11
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 90:17
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.

Ecclesiastes 9:7
Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do.

Luke 1:28
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Nehemiah 1:11
O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

Genesis 39:20-22
Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there.

Daniel 1:9
Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel,

Exodus 11:3
(The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)

Exodus 12:36
The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.

Deuteronomy 33:23
About Naphtali he said: “Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the LORD and is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake.”

Luke 1:30
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.

2 Corinthians 6:2
For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

Daniel 9:13
Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.

Lamentations 4:16
The LORD himself has scattered them; he no longer watches over them. The priests are shown no honor, the elders no favor.

Ezekiel 5:11
Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will withdraw my favor; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.

Posted Friday, September 28th, 2007 at 2:40 pm in Seeds Of Faith.