THE SCEPTRE OF FAVOUR CANCELS DEATH

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord – Psalm 118:17

Favour cancels the decrees of death; it terminates every prescription of grief and destruction. In many instances in the Bible, the favour of God disallowed death, disappointed the intentions of agents of wickedness, nullified the power of the grave, and turned sorrow to joy, sadness into gladness and weeping into rejoicing. Favour flows: “to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified” (Isa.61:3).

When Esther approached the presence of the King uninvited, she risked the possibility of death (Est.4:11). The favour of God which accompanied her however, caused the King’s sceptre to be lifted in her direction (Est.5:2). This was symbolic of the Sceptre of the King of kings: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre (Psa.45:6). Divine favour turned the prospect of death to the reality of life for Esther.

The arrival of Jesus – the Author of Favour – to Jairus’ house drove out the spirits of weeping, wailing, sorrow and death. His Presence invited the Spirits of Life, gladness and Joy (Mk.5:38-42). Jairus invited Jesus, but Luke 7: 11-15 describes a situation where people were neither praying nor asking for help, yet favour flowed! The procession of death encountered and bowed to the Author of Life at the gate of the city of Nain. It tells the story of a doubly bereaved woman: added to the loss of her husband was that of her only son!

Praise God, His Favour stopped her weeping and the depressive procession of death, causing the woman who was about to drown in sorrow to begin to leap for joy. I prophesy into your destiny: By your encounter with divine favour, there shall be no gathering for weeping in your courts. Standing on the Platform of Favour, you can boldly prophesy: “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (Psa.118:17).