How to Have the Favor of God in Your Life

When I was in medical school, there was a mantra about the learning technique of medical education. Those six frightening words pushed us to work harder.

"See one. Do one. Teach one." 

Admittedly, we were a group of thoroughly Type A self-starters from the beginning. Because we knew that we would be doing a procedure not long after we first saw it done, we paid even closer attention. We practiced it in our heads, going over ever step in a kind of mental rehearsal. 

Because the "do one" would be done on a living, breathing person, we wanted to be ready. And we were.

It was serious business, and we knew it.

In a way, it was a good learning tool, too. To teach a procedure effectively, you have to know how to do it. Thorough understanding of the principles and steps involved is essential, as is experience.

There's another an old saying that you're probably more familiar with. "Practice what you preach.". It's an important principle, too. Don't just tell people what to do. Do it yourself first. The truth, however, is that our lives will preach what we practice, whether we want them to, or not.

Ezra tells us that he, too, understood the benefit of the medical education training style. 

"For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to practice it, and to teach His statues and ordinances in Israel." Ezra 7:10 nasb

We never really know a thing, at the core of our hearts, until we know it well enough to teach it. To truly understand the law of God requires study with the fervor of one who knows he (or she) will do and teach before long. It also requires putting that study into practice. 

Ezra knew the word of God just that well. If we backtrack a little, we'll find a series of "for" sentences that show how those years of study and practice affected Ezra. The section begins with "and the king granted him all he requested because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him." (Ezra 7:6)

In a nutshell, the king granted Ezra everything he asked. The king did this because the hand of God was upon him. The favor of God was on Ezra because of the way he studied and obeyed and transmitted the word of God.

It's impossible to obey what we don't know, so study is essential. It's just hearing but not doing if we never put what we've studied into practice, though. We have to learn and obey. 

We don't study for learning's sake. We study to know God better and do what He wants us to do.

Do you want the favor of God to rest on your life? Do what Ezra did. Study hard, then do what you've learned. It's as simple as that.

See it. Do it. Teach it.

Those six frightening words helped turn inexperienced students into excellent doctors. They can turn us from new believers into dedicated disciples, too. If we'll follow them.

Today, let's study with fresh resolve. Fresh fervor. Fresh dedication. When we do, we'll know Him. Serve Him. Teach His word.
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Kairos Moment
Here's the link to the prayer guide: The Prayer List
Here's the link to my Global Outreach page: Leanna Hollis MD
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