A Story of Favour

When my son Jordan was eight years old, I took him to a function where an AFL player from Collingwood (our team) was going to be. There was a competition where you could buy raffle tickets and win a dinner for you and three other people at a high-end restaurant with three of the club’s top football players.

Jordan really wanted to win and asked if I would buy some tickets. The entries were five dollars each, and they were encouraging people to buy a lot. Many people bought 10, 20, even 50 tickets. Some bought 100 since the money went to charity.

Jordan asked how many we could buy, but things were financially tight, so I said, “I can buy one ticket.” He turned around to me and said, “Mum, we only need one ticket because Brother Jerry said we have the favour of God.”

I remember thinking—wow.

The man selling the tickets said, “You’re never going to win with one ticket. Most people are buying twenty or more.” I politely replied, “I’m sorry, but we can’t.”

As we walked away, I asked Jordan if he’d heard what the man had said about other people buying heaps of tickets. His response? “Mummy, it doesn’t matter because we have the favour of God. We only need one ticket.”

We left the event, and as we drove home, Jordan asked who he should take when he won. “I need to pick three people that I want to take with me when I win.” Then he asked, “What do you think I should wear? Do you think the players will dress up?” He was so convinced we were going to win because of the teaching he’d grown up hearing about the favour of God.

Now, here’s me being very real with you. I remember the words, “Please don’t get your hopes up,” were on the tip of my tongue, but the Holy Spirit stopped me and said, “What are you doing? Do not try to downsize your child’s faith. Keep your mouth shut.” So I stayed quiet. Inside I thought, I just don’t want him to be hurt, but I knew I needed to have the same expectation Jordan had.

When we arrived at home, Jordan talked about winning the prize like it was a done thing. All the while, I thought, What if he doesn’t win? But I stayed silent and kept declaring with him, “He has the favour of God.”

Fast forward about two weeks. The competition had finished, and my phone rang while I sat in church one Sunday morning. I didn’t know the number, but after church I checked the voicemail. It said, “It’s Darren Jolly here from the Collingwood Football Club. I wanted to let Jordan know he’s won the dinner with me and two other players, and I’d like to organise the details.”

I was so excited and felt like doing cartwheels! Jordan wasn’t with me when I listened to the message as he’d gone out with friends after church. So I called him and said, “Guess what? I just got a call from Darren Jolly… you won!” He was thrilled, but not in the least bit surprised. He simply said, “Brother Jerry has taught me about the favour of God!”

The four of us had the most amazing dinner at the fanciest steak restaurant with some of Australia’s top football players all because my eight-year-old had faith to believe in the favour of God.

Not only is this story an amazing example of God’s favour, it’s also a challenge: Be a Jordan, not a Christine.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up, and compared our chances with everyone else who bought dozens of tickets. I thought of all the reasons it wouldn’t happen.

Meanwhile, Jordan got his hopes up because he knew he had God’s favour. He knew that the favour of God “produces recognition, even when I seem the least likely to receive it.”

So stop looking at the circumstances, the odds, or the impossibilities, and look at God’s favour!