If you have been a Christian long enough, you have probably realized that God in His sovereignty often works apart from the difficulty of our circumstances. In fact, some of the hardest lives have been lived by some of the godliest people. In fact, I believe that God does not want to make our lives better, as much as He wants to make us better. How does He do that? He does that when we seek His favor.

Much like Psalm 147 two weeks ago, 85 was most likely written right after God’s people returned from exile in Babylon. They found themselves frustrated because while they were grateful for God freeing them, they could not understand why life wasn’t better. They recognized that going home was an act of His mercy, but believed that they were still somehow lacking His favor. While favor cannot be earned, Scripture tells us that it is something that can be sought.

Four things we can do to seek the Lord’s favor [happiness]. (Psalm 85)