Part of the Being Perfected in Favor Series
View the full study outline here: Being Perfected in Favor: Walking in the Favor of the Lord

A Study of Biblical Lives That Carried the Favor of God

This study began in a place of prayer. Over time, I found myself returning to a particular prayer I have prayed for years, along with a track called “Favor”, from Pastor John Hannah’s Light Year Prayer Album, that I’ve been playing often lately during prayer. In those moments, I began to notice how often favor was being spoken, not just as something to ask for, but as something already established and expressed throughout Scripture. That led me to go back and study it more intentionally, to understand what the favor of the Lord truly is and how it is seen across the lives of those He called.

From the beginning, the favor of the Lord has never been random or without purpose. Throughout Scripture, we see that when God’s hand rests upon a life, it brings more than blessing. It brings direction, responsibility, access, and alignment with His will. Favor is not simply something to desire. It is something to understand, recognize, and steward.

This study is an invitation to look closely at the lives of those who carried the favor of God and to discern the patterns that remain consistent across generations. As you move through each section, you will begin to see that favor is not based on striving or performance, but on God’s calling, positioning, and purpose being worked out through a willing life.

Each person in this study reveals a different expression of favor. Some encountered it through promise, others through preparation, others in seasons of opposition, and ultimately, we see its fulfillment through Christ. Together, these lives form a complete picture of what it means to walk in the favor of the Lord.

Let this not only be a study you read, but one you return to, reflect on, and allow to shape how you walk with God.

Foundational Favor

The beginning of covenant, promise, and divine positioning

In these early lives, favor is introduced through God’s word. Before there is visible evidence, there is a calling, a promise, and a positioning that sets each life apart. Favor began here, not with possession, but with what God has spoken.

• The Favor of Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3)
• The Favor of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18; Hebrews 5:6–10)
• The Favor of Isaac (Genesis 26:1–14)
• The Favor of Jacob (Genesis 28:1; 30:43)
• The Favor of Joseph (Genesis 40–41; Psalm 105:21)

Formation and Leadership Favor

Being prepared, shaped, and entrusted with responsibility

As favor continues, it begins to form and prepare. These lives reveal that favor is closely tied to obedience, nearness to God, and the willingness to be shaped before being sent. Leadership emerges not apart from favor, but through it.

• The Favor of Moses (Exodus 33:12–17)
• The Favor of Joshua (Joshua 6:1–3)
• The Favor of Samuel (1 Samuel 2:26)

Established and Kingdom Favor

Expansion, influence, and the stewardship of what God gives

Here, favor becomes visible in influence, resources, and authority. Yet with increase comes responsibility. These lives show that favor must be stewarded with wisdom, humility, and continued dependence on God.

• The Favor of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10)
• The Favor of Solomon (1 Chronicles 29:2; 2 Chronicles 9)
• The Favor of Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:5–15)

Favor in Opposition and Exile

The sustaining presence of God in unfamiliar and challenging places

Favor is not limited to favorable conditions. In these accounts, we see that the favor of the Lord remains active even in exile, pressure, and opposition. It preserves, elevates, and distinguishes, even when circumstances suggest otherwise.

• The Favor of Esther (Esther 2:15–17)
• The Favor of Daniel (Daniel 1:9)

Fulfilled Favor

The fullness of God’s purpose revealed through Christ

In these final expressions, favor is no longer only carried, it is fulfilled. Through Mary, we see favor entrusted with divine purpose. Through Jesus, we see favor fully aligned with God’s redemptive plan for humanity.

• The Favor of Mary (Luke 1:28–30)
• The Blessing of Jesus (Luke 8:1–3)

Begin the Study

Every expression of favor in Scripture traces back to a moment where God speaks, calls, and sets a life apart for His purpose. Before favor is seen in increase, it is first established in obedience and trust.

The journey through favor begins with Abraham, a man who was called to leave what was familiar and walk into what God had spoken. His life reveals that favor is not rooted in what we hold, but in what we are willing to follow.

Continue to the first study: The Favor of Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3)