Joel Osteen - Uncommon Favor
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I want to talk to you today about Uncommon Favor. We all have dreams that seem too big to accomplish, and challenges that we can’t overcome by ourselves. We look at things in the natural, logically speaking, and reason it out. Sometimes there’s no answer, it’s easy to get discouraged. But what God is going to do in your life cannot be calculated, you can’t plan it, you can’t rationalize it, it’s going to be uncommon, out of the ordinary, something that you’ve never seen. And on purpose God will put you in situations that are over your head. The good news is: he’s already lined up the uncommon favor where doors open you couldn’t open, uncommon promotion where opportunity tracks you down, uncommon protection where he shields you from evil, and uncommon freedom where he delivers you from generational limitations.
Where God is taking you cannot be reached by just ordinary means. And yes, we have to pray, believe, use our gifts, but you can’t fulfill your destiny with just the common. If you’re only looking at things in the natural, and trying to figure it out, you’re going to get discouraged. What you can’t see is the uncommon favor that’s coming.
Paul said this in 1 Corinthians 2:9, «You haven’t seen, heard or imagined what God has in store for those that love the Lord». That’s talking about uncommon favor. You haven’t seen it yet, you haven’t heard it, you haven’t even imagined it. When you look at your situations, there may be no way in the natural that it’s going to work out: no way you could get well, no way that child will get back on course, no way that you could lead your department. You’ve studied it, reasoned it, thought all the options — that all may be true, there’s no logical way, but what you can’t see is what God has stored up. You haven’t seen, heard or imagined it. There’s uncommon favor coming, something unusual, out of the ordinary. You couldn’t plan it, wasn’t in your logic. We think natural, but God is supernatural.
There are things stored up for you right now, when God releases it’s going to boggle your mind, blessings that have your name on it, healing, divine connections, businesses, books, movies, things you never saw coming. Wasn’t on your radar, it’s going to be unusual, out of the ordinary, something that you’ve never imagined. See, ordinary favor is when you get the promotion you deserved. You worked hard, you were faithful, you’re next in line. But uncommon favor is when God catapult you ahead. He gives you a position that you didn’t see coming. You weren’t qualified, you didn’t have the experience, but suddenly you’re at a level you never dreamed.
Ordinary favor is when you pay your house off after 30 years. God sustains you, provides and we’re grateful. But uncommon favor is when you come into explosive blessings, abundance that you never saw coming. You pay it off in a fraction of the time. Ordinary favor is when you’re able to deal with the sickness, and handle the addiction, learn to live with it. Uncommon favor is when God sets you free, turns your health around, defies the odds. And yes, we’re thankful for ordinary favor, God’s sustaining us, we don’t take that for granted, but I want you to get ready for uncommon favor. God’s about to show out in your life, you’re coming into a year of uncommon promotion, opportunities chasing you down. Uncommon influence, new levels of leadership and respect. Uncommon wisdom, ideas, creativity that you’ve never had. Uncommon healing, vitality and strength like when you were young.
Psalm 40:3 says, «God has given me a new song to sing. Many will see what he has done and be astounded». God is going to do some new things in your life. Not what you’ve seen in the past, it’s going to be unusual, where you’re not only astounded, but people around you are going to be astounded. You’re going to think, «How’d you accomplish that dream? How’d you beat that cancer? How’d your child get back on course? How’d you pay their house off»? It’s the most high God releasing uncommon favor, what you haven’t seen, heard or imagined.
We see this all through the scripture. When Jesus told Peter to go back into the water and throw out his nets, he caught so many fish that the nets begin to break. The scripture (Luke 5:9) says «They were all struck at the size of their catch». What made it even more amazing is there were no fish there a few hours earlier. Peter had fished all night, he knew when to fish, and where to fish. This wasn’t the right time, they were too close to the shore, it was too bright outside. None of the circumstances were favorable, but God doesn’t need your circumstances to be favorable to do something amazing in your life.
God controls the fish, he controls finances, he controls health, relationships, what doors are going to open. He’s not limited because odds are against you, you don’t have the connections. God will bring someone better than you can imagine. You don’t have the funds, God owns it all. He’s not having a down year. He told the disciples to go to the lake, and the first fish they caught had a coin in it enough to pay all their taxes. God was showing us that he’s going to do things unusual ways, ways you can’t calculate, you can’t plan, doesn’t fit into our logic. It’s going to be supernatural, something that leaves you awestruck, uncommon favor.
One time Peter was in prison for sharing his faith. A group of believers gathered at a house to pray for him. The king had just had the disciple James put to death, and now it looked like Peter was next in line. They had been praying all night and asking God to do a miracle. And an angel showed up in the prison, woke Peter up and the doors opened of their own accord, and Peter walked out a free man. Was the middle of the night, so he went to the house where they’re all praying and knocked on the door. A young woman answered it. When she saw Peter she nearly passed out. She was so amazed, she didn’t open the door. She ran back and told everyone it was Peter. They said, «No way. Can’t be Peter, he in jail. Must be an angel». The whole time Peter’s out there knocking on the door.
The scripture says when they finally opened it, «They were astonished to see Peter». They stood there in awe. See, they thought God would do it an ordinary way, they were praying that God would change the king’s mind, give Peter mercy at the trial, watch over him in the prison. They never imagine that God would deliver him that night, that an angel would show up and open the doors. They couldn’t plan that. Logically speaking this would never happen, but God is not always logical, his ways are not our ways.
Ordinary favor would have brought him through the trial, given him good attorneys, maybe he’ll get probation, maybe he’ll be released. But where God is taking you, the calling he has on your life is going to take more than just normal good breaks, average promotion, ordinary protection. It’s going to take uncommon favor. He’s going to open doors that leave you awestruck, turn situations around that cause you to be astonished, take your places where you stand in awe think, «How did this happen»? Those are some of the things that God has stored up for you that you haven’t seen, heard or imagined.
You may be facing challenges now you don’t see how they could work out, all your planning, reasoning, what the experts say, there are no good options. What you can’t see is the uncommon favor that God is about to release. Uncommon healing — God doing what medicine cannot do. Uncommon breakthroughs — problems that look permanent suddenly turning around. Uncommon opportunities — contracts, businesses that takes your family to a new level. «Well, Joel, you’re just trying to get people’s hopes up». You can’t have faith if you don’t first have hope. «What if I believe this and nothing happens»? What if you believe and it does happen?! If you don’t believe, you go around negative, doubting, «Joel, my problems are too big, I think I’ve reached my limits, I don’t see how I ever meet the right person», you’re probably going to get stuck. You have to give God something to work with. Faith is what gets his attention. Dare to say, «God, show out in my life this year. Do something uncommon, out of the ordinary, that leaves me astounded, astonished, in awe of your goodness».
I know a man that has a home for men that are in tough times, and he takes in former inmates from the prison in his area. And he has several hundred men living on his property, and feeds them, clothes them, helps them to find jobs. One Saturday his main cook came in and said, «We’ve run out of food. We have nothing to cook today», and they were down on funds and didn’t have any way to buy something. This man told the cook not to worry, that the Lord would provide. They’re just a few hours away from dinner, he didn’t know what to do. He said, «God, this ministry is in your hands, and you said you’d supply all of our needs. So, God, I’m asking you to make a way even though I don’t see a way».
Couple hours later he got a phone call from the sheriff, he works with local law enforcement on different projects. And the sheriff said, «There’s an 18-wheeler that’s turned over on the freeway. Can you bring some of your men to help us clean up»? They got there, and there were tens of thousands of potatoes all over the freeway. The sheriff said, «You pick them up and they’re all yours». They had potatoes for two years. God has unusual, uncommon ways to meet your needs. But that man thought that surely God would send someone to give a gift, so he could buy the food. Or maybe the grocery store would have leftover supplies, maybe a restaurant would call. But God is going to do things out of the ordinary, things you can’t calculate. The reason we get discouraged is we’re trying to figure out how God’s going to do it. We don’t see a way, «Joel, the medical report’s not good. And here’s how much I make, if I save up for 420 years, I’ll still be in debt». Can I encourage you? God has something coming that you can’t see. Uncommon favor is favor that leaves you astonished, awestruck, something you never imagine.
The beauty is: you don’t have to make this happen, strive, manipulate. That’s going to cause you to get frustrated, whore you out. Leave it in God’s hands, he’s already lined up your uncommon moments, uncommon favor, potatoes on a highway. Uncommon increase, coins in the fish’s mouth. Uncommon opportunity, having church in a former basketball arena. Uncommon healing, my mother’s still alive 44 years after being diagnosed with terminal cancer. God has things that are out of the ordinary, that you can’t plan. Blessings you haven’t seen, heard or imagine.
Acts 7:10 says that «God gave Joseph unusual wisdom». He had incredible mind for business and entrepreneurship. He was skilled in leadership, economics and finances, so much so that the Pharaoh put him in charge of all the affairs of Egypt. I declare that God is going to give you unusual wisdom, uncommon understanding, ingenuity and ideas and creativity that’ll cause you to stand out, to be a leader in your field, to make a difference for the kingdom. You have seeds of greatness on the inside. God didn’t create you to be average, but to be outstanding. The scripture says, «God gave Mary uncommon favor to conceive and give birth to the Messiah». Mary could have never planned that, no one had ever had a baby without a man, that wasn’t possible, but when God puts a dream in your heart he will give you the favor you need to bring it to pass.
And sure there’ll be times that what you’re facing looks impossible, there’s no way in the natural, nothing more you can do. That’s when God will step in with uncommon favor, something you couldn’t plan, talent that you didn’t know you had, a door supernaturally opens, or the right person tracks you down. Now, quit worrying about how it’s going to happen, and losing sleep over what you don’t have, how the odds are against you. One touch of God’s favor will turn any situation around. The reason it looks impossible is because what God has coming is uncommon. You haven’t seen this favor before, it’s out of the ordinary, it’s going to catapult you ahead.
Acts 19:11 says, «God did unusual miracles in the life of Paul». Seems like every miracle is amazing, but how about unusual miracles? It’s significant that this happened in Paul’s life. You remember Paul started off as a man named Saul. He hated believers, he was the biggest threat to the church, he went around arresting Christians and having them put in prison. You would think if anyone was too far gone it would have been Paul, but God has uncommon mercy. People that we would write off, think they’re too far off course, too wild, too dishonest, God never gives up on us. That relative you think is too lost, too sarcastic, too addicted, you don’t know what God has coming, uncommon favor. No, they don’t deserve it, they chose to go down the wrong path, but the scripture says «God who is rich in mercy».
Could have said «He’s rich in possessions», he owns it all. «Rich in knowledge», he knows everything. «Rich in power», he controls the universe. But it describes him as «Rich in mercy». David said (Psalm 139:7-8), «Wherever I go Lord, you are there. If I go to the heights of heaven, you’re there. If I go down to the depths of the sea, I cannot get away from you». While Saul was breathing out threats against the church, a bright light shined down from heaven, knocked him off his animal, and that moment he was supernaturally converted. He became the apostle Paul that wrote almost half of the new testament. The scripture calls this «An unusual miracle». Anyone that knew Saul back then could have never calculated this, never reasoned it out, no sign he was going to change, but «God who is rich in mercy».
Maybe you feel kind of like Saul: you’re not where you should be in life, you think you’ve made too many mistakes. No, the mercy of God is bigger than anything you’ve done. He’s calling out to you today, saying «Come home. Get back on course. We need you in the family. We are better together. You have something that makes us stronger». Or perhaps you have a loved one that’s off course, and doesn’t seem like they’ll ever get back on track. No, they may run, but like with Saul, they cannot hide. Isaiah 59:1 said, «The arm of the Lord is not too short that it cannot save». God is going to reach down in his uncommon favor, and rescue your child, protect your loved one, and bring them into their purpose. As for you and your house you will serve the Lord.
A man called our sirius xm program, and he’d been addicted to drugs for many years, he’d gone to rehab 15 times with no lasting success. And he very down on himself, lost his family, and couldn’t keep a good job. One Sunday morning he went to the house where he would buy his drugs. The granddaughter lived in the back room, and she had all this supply. He knocked on the door and the grandmother was in the front room on the couch. She was bedridden, not able to move. And she was watching our services on television. She didn’t know anything about what her granddaughter was doing in the back, and she greeted the man, and asked how he was doing. He said «Fine», and just being polite he asked how she was doing. She said, «I’m doing great. Now, that Joel's on television, would you sit down and watch with me»?
He kind of felt obligated like he had to he’s in her house. He sat there, never watched any kind of religious program. I was talking that day about «The God Who Stoops», how he reaches down and lifts us out of the pit, and how you’re never too far gone for the mercy of God. As he sat there that day he began to weep. He felt a love, a peace, a freedom that he had never felt before. It was like chains were being broken off of him. He never did go back to the room to get the drugs, he left that day a changed man. That was over 5 years ago, now he’s a recovery coach, helping other people get clean. He could have never plan that, «I’m going to walk into a house to purchase my drugs, and sit and watch this goodlooking preacher on television, have chains broken off of me», that’s uncommon favor, uncommon deliverance. That’s what it said about Paul, unusual miracles.
You may have situations right now where you can’t figure out how it’s going to happen, and how you’re going to get well or how you’ll send your children to college, how you can break the addiction. The «How» is not your part. You don’t have to figure it out. All you have to do is believe, «God, I want to thank you that you have uncommon favor coming my way. Things stored up for me that I haven’t seen, heard or imagined».
David was a teenager out taking care of his father’s sheep, and looked like he’d have an ordinary life, he didn’t come from an influential family or any kind of wealth. They were shepherds, living out in the desert. I’m sure David felt like he is stuck out there, like he could never do anything significant. But every day you do the right thing, you be your best at work, you’re good to your family, you keep God first place, you are passing the test, you are showing God that he can trust you with more. And just because you don’t see anything happening doesn’t mean God is not working. Behind the scenes he’s arranging things in your favor.
While David was minding his own business, going about another ordinary day, God spoke to the prophet Samuel to travel to another city to Jesse’s house, David’s father, and to anoint one of the sons as the next king of Israel. Imagine David out in the fields when he got word that «This prophet is here, he’s asking for you». David must have thought, «You got to be kidding. Why would he want me»? David was the youngest son, the smallest, the least experienced, but God said in Psalm 89:19 «I have selected David from common people to become the king».
You may feel kind of ordinary, common, but you don’t know what God has has lined up for you. You don’t know who God has already spoken to about you. Like Samuel, but they haven’t shown up yet. There’s going to be a knock on your door, your time is coming. Just keep being faithful, you never know when you’re going to get called in from the fields. Nobody could have ever planned this for David’s life, no circumstance said he’d be in leadership, he’d be the next king, that was so far out, but God has things for you that you haven’t seen, heard or imagined: uncommon blessings that will come to you.
When David went out to face Goliath, all he had was a slingshot and a few stones that he had picked up from the brook. Ordinary things, common, but when God breathed on them those stones brought down a giant. When you look at what you have it may seem ordinary, average talent, average looks, average resources, that’s it’s okay, when God breathes on it the ordinary will become extraordinary, what’s common will become uncommon. Don’t discount what you have.
I heard about a 5-year-old boy that loved to play the piano. Anytime he got a chance he would sit down and play the best he could. He’d never had any lessons or formal training, all he knew how to play was chopsticks, just a very simple tune. One day his father surprised him and got tickets to the symphony to hear this world-renowned pianist, one of the greatest piano players alive. That night as they were walking to their seats, the little boy always so curious and hard to stay still looked behind the curtain and saw this beautiful grand piano. Without anyone noticing, he snuck over, sat down and started to play chopsticks. About that time the curtain began to rise, everyone was expecting to see this master pianist, instead they saw this little boy playing this elementary tune. He was so caught up in his world, he didn’t know everyone was watching. When he finally realized all eyes were on him, he about to take off, when he felt two big hands reaching around him, was the master pianist. He whispered in the boy’s ear «Keep playing».
As the little boy played his rendition of chopsticks, the world-renowned pianist begin to play a Beethoven symphony piece that was scored in the same cadence and in the same key. Under the direction of the master, the orchestra begin to join in: first the woodwinds, then the brass, then the percussion. The fathers sat there in tears, was amazed at what was happening. He never dreamed that simple, unpolished song that he' heard in his living room every day would no longer sound like chopsticks, but a full beautifully perfected Beethoven symphony. What was the difference? The master stepped in. Sometimes what we have feels ordinary: ordinary talent, ordinary looks, ordinary opportunities, but if you’ll stay faithful, at some point the master will step in. God will take your ordinary and breathe on it, and it will become extraordinary.
Never thought I could minister. My father pastored here for 40 years, and he’s a great pastor, and he’d gone to seminary, and so powerful and talented, preached all over the world. I didn’t have any of that. I felt ordinary, average, but deep down I knew I was supposed to pastor. I took that step of faith. You know what happened? The master stepped in. God took what was common, and turned it into uncommon. He breathed on my talent, breathed on my ability. He’s taken me where I never dreamed. Couldn’t have planned this, I thought I’d stay behind the scenes and do television production the rest of my life. What am I saying? God has some things stored up for you that you haven’t seen, you haven’t imagined. It looks like just a slingshot, but when God breathes on it, it’ll bring down giants. Moses took his staff, a piece of wood, something common. He held it up and the master stepped in, the red sea parted, something they had never seen.
You may have situations that look like they’ll never turn around, seems like you’re stuck. Can I encourage you? The master is about to step in. God sees you doing your part, he sees you being your best, he’s about to breathe on your family, breathe on your finances, breathe on your health, breathe on your talent. He’s already lined up some of these uncommon moments for you, unusual miracles are in your future. Isaiah 28:21 says, «This time the Lord will do something surprising, not what you expect». Now, I know God’s done great things in the past, but you haven’t seen anything yet. I believe and declare: this is going to be a year of uncommon favor for you, uncommon opportunity, uncommon healing, uncommon victories, in Jesus name. And if you receive it, can you say amen?