Topic: Favor Over Fluency
Scripture: "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison." (Genesis 39:21)
Favor Over Fluency: Why God’s Fingerprints Outperform Your Diplomas
The Night My Vocabulary Failed Me
The winter air hung heavy over Akasia, carrying that peculiar Pretoria North chill that seeps through the cracks of even our best-built homes. I sat in my study, the weight of an important meeting pressing against my chest like a boulder. Tomorrow, I would address a gathering of influential community leaders—people with degrees plastered on walls, people whose English flowed like the Vaal River after good rains, people who pronounced every syllable with the precision of a news anchor.
And me? I am Harold Mawela, a boy from the dusty streets, whose tongue sometimes stumbles over consonants, whose grammar occasionally bends in ways the linguists never intended. I spent that night rehearsing, polishing, perfecting. I wanted fluency. I wanted eloquence. I wanted to sound like I belonged at that table.
But as I paced my veranda, watching the distant lights of the N1 highway flicker through the wattles, the Holy Spirit arrested my anxiety with a question that rewired my theology: "Harold, did I call you to be fluent, or did I call you to be faithful?"
That question, beloved, is the difference between a career and a calling. It is the distinction between a performance and a presence. And it is the very truth that transformed a prisoner into a prime minister.
Defining the Terms: What We Really Need
Let us define our terms clearly, for the fog of confusion has settled over the modern church like Highveld smog.
Fluency, in this context, is not merely the ability to speak without stammering. It is the world's system of qualification—the degrees, the connections, the polished presentations, the smooth resumes, the networking strategies, the "correct" accent, the right school ties, the influential LinkedIn connections. Fluency is humanity's metric for "worthiness." It asks: Are you impressive enough to be admitted?
Favor, however, is Heaven's override button. It is the supernatural acceleration that cannot be explained by natural means. Favor is God walking into your Job interview and making the interviewer forget the more qualified candidates. Favor is the prison guard looking at Joseph—a foreigner, a slave, an accused criminal—and deciding to put him in charge of everything. Favor is illogical. Favor is unreasonable. Favor is God showing off.
The great theologian and philosopher Cornelius Van Til argued that all reasoning presupposes God. Let me apply that here: all opportunity presupposes Providence. You can have every human qualification and still be locked out. Or, like Joseph, you can have every human disqualification and still be ushered in. Why? Because giftedness is a door, but favor is the key. Skill may sit you at the table, but selection keeps you in the room.
The Joseph Paradigm: A Case Study in Divine Disruption
Picture, if you will, a young man in a dark, damp Egyptian prison. He is not there on a short sentence. He is there unjustly, forgotten by those he helped, abandoned by those he served. His resumé, if he had one, would read: Dreamer (former), favoured son (disqualified), slave (escaped), prisoner (current). Not exactly executive material.
Yet Genesis 39:21 declares something astonishing: "But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison."
Do you see the progression? The Lord's presence produced mercy, which produced favor. Joseph did not run a media campaign. He did not print business cards. He did not attend a prison networking event. He simply remained in the presence of God, and God became his公共关系 manager.
The pit was Joseph's preparation; the palace was God's proclamation. Between the pit and the palace, there was a prison. And in that prison, God was not absent—He was positioning. Your talent is your tool, but testimony is your trophy. What you pursue, you may possess; but what God permits, no man can prevent.
I think of Joseph and I think of our South African context. We are a nation obsessed with credentials. We want the CV that impresses, the qualifications that intimidate, the letters after our names that announce our importance. And yet, we look around at our civil service, at our corporate failures, at our leadership crises, and we must ask: Has all our fluency produced fruit? We have graduates without jobs, degrees without direction, education without employment. Perhaps, just perhaps, we have pursued fluency while neglecting the God who grants favor.
A Personal Akasia Story: When the Tap Ran Dry
Let me bring this home, to the soil of our suburb. In 2023, when the municipal water crisis hit our area—those dreadful weeks when the taps in Akasia and parts of Pretoria North ran dry—I watched my neighbours scramble. They bought Jojo tanks, they drilled boreholes, they stockpiled bottled water. All wise preparations, certainly. But I noticed something else.
One elderly lady, Gogo Mkhize, who lives three houses down, did something different. She gathered her grandchildren in her yard, and they prayed. They prayed over the dry taps. They prayed over the municipal workers. They prayed for rain. And then, she sent the children to fetch water from a spring she remembered from her childhood—a spring the developers had forgotten, hidden behind the shopping complex.
While others had fluency in water storage technology, Gogo Mkhize had favor with the ancient springs. Her water never completely ran out. People started coming to her. Her yard became a gathering place. She didn't have a borehole; she had a blessing. She didn't have municipal connections; she had heavenly attention.
That is the Joseph principle operating in Akasia. Fluency knows how to store water; Favor knows where the hidden springs are.
The Philosophical Framework: Why Favor Is More Rational Than You Think
Now, let us engage the skeptics. A common objection arises: "Pastor Harold, are you anti-education? Are you telling us not to study, not to prepare, not to pursue excellence?"
Absolutely not! Let me dismantle this misunderstanding with logical precision.
Premise One: God is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and skill. The Scriptures declare that He gives "the ability to produce wealth" (Deuteronomy 8:18) and that "every good and perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17). Even your natural abilities are divine deposits.
Premise Two: Human effort, education, and preparation are commanded in Scripture. "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Study to show yourself approved (2 Timothy 2:15). The ant prepares in summer (Proverbs 6:6-8).
Premise Three: However, human effort alone, divorced from divine favor, cannot ultimately succeed. "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain" (Psalm 127:1). History is littered with talented people who never reached their destiny. The graveyards are full of indispensable people.
Conclusion: Therefore, the rational course is not to abandon preparation, but to subordinate preparation to supplication. Polish your performance, yes—but position your prayers first. Pursue fluency, absolutely—but pursue the Favor-Giver more. The argument stands: human responsibility and divine sovereignty are not enemies; they are partners. But the senior partner is always God.
Confronting the South African Heresy of "Connection Culture"
Now, beloved, I must sound the alarm against a particularly subtle deception in our context. In South Africa, we have a phrase: "It's not what you know, but who you know." And we have elevated this into a theology of favor. We chase connections. We attend every networking event. We collect business cards like precious artifacts. We name-drop at every opportunity. We call it "relationship building," but often it is just sophisticated idolatry.
The error is this: we have substituted human connections for divine favor. We believe that if we can just meet the right person, join the right circle, impress the right executive, our breakthrough will come. But Joseph's story confronts this lie directly. Who did Joseph know in Egypt? Absolutely no one. He was a foreigner, a slave, a prisoner. He had no network, no references, no introductions. Yet "the Lord was with Joseph."
Your connection to God determines the connections God brings. When you carry His presence, you don't need to chase people—people will chase the presence in you. The prison keeper didn't promote Joseph because of Joseph's connections; he promoted Joseph because of Joseph's character, which was the fruit of God's presence. Don't just polish your performance; start positioning your prayers.
A Word from the Headlines: Favor in the Chaos
Just this past week, as I write from my Akasia study, our nation has been digesting the reports from the G20 summit discussions held in Johannesburg. World leaders gathered, diplomatic tensions surfaced, and the absence of certain key players made headlines . The political analysts have been busy dissecting the implications, the strategies, the geopolitical fluency on display.
But as I watched the coverage, I thought: Where is the church in this conversation? We have analysts fluent in politics but bankrupt in prayer. We have commentators skilled in critique but empty of intercession. We need men and women who understand that the hearts of kings are in the hand of the Lord (Proverbs 21:1). We need a people who know that no summit, no negotiation, no diplomatic maneuver succeeds unless the Lord grants favor.
South Africa does not need more fluent politicians; we need favoured prophets. We do not need smoother talkers; we need surrendered hearts. When God grants grace, even the opposition will finance your destination. Imagine if the church in Pretoria, in Soweto, in Durban, in Cape Town, stopped trying to manipulate outcomes through human strategy and started seeking the face of the One who holds outcomes in His hands.
The Theology of the Prison: Where Favor Is Forged
We must linger on the prison, for it is the crucible of favor. Joseph was not favoured despite the prison; he was favoured in the prison, and the prison became the platform.
I recall a conversation with a young man in Soshanguve, a brilliant coder who had applied for over a hundred jobs without success. His CV was impeccable. His skills were undeniable. But the doors remained closed. He sat in my office, despair clouding his eyes. "Pastor, what's wrong with me? Why won't anyone hire me?
I asked him a question that surprised him: "What if God is protecting you from a position that would destroy your destiny?"
We prayed together, not just for a job, but for favor. Within three months, he was hired by a company that not only valued his skills but gave him freedom to pursue ministry on the side. The delayed door was divine protection. The waiting period was wisdom preparation. The prison was not punishment; it was positioning.
Theologians throughout church history—from Augustine to Aquinas, from Calvin to Barth—have wrestled with the mystery of suffering and divine timing. And the consistent testimony is this: God's delays are not God's denials. The prison is where your character is tested, your patience is stretched, and your dependence on God is deepened. You cannot handle the palace until you have survived the prison. You cannot steward favor until you have endured famine.
Practical Application: How to Position for Favor
So, how do we position ourselves for this supernatural favor? Let me offer three actionable steps, grounded in Scripture and tested in experience.
First, pursue presence over platform. Joseph had God with him. That is the non-negotiable foundation. Favor flows from fellowship. You cannot carry His power if you do not cultivate His presence. In the noise of Akasia, in the rush of Pretoria's traffic, in the demands of daily work, create spaces of silence where God can speak. The discipline of listening is the doorway of direction .
Second, maintain integrity in isolation. The prison tested Joseph's character. When no one was watching, when promotion seemed impossible, he remained faithful. South Africa is watching our leaders fail because their character was not forged in private. What you do when no one sees determines what God does when everyone watches.
Third, serve where you are stationed. Joseph served the prison keeper with excellence. He did not sulk; he served. He did not complain; he contributed. Your current assignment—no matter how menial, no matter how beneath your qualifications—is your training ground. Until you learn to serve in the prison, you cannot rule in the palace.
The Prophetic Confrontation: A Word to the South African Church
Beloved, I must speak plainly. We have pursued the wrong currency. We have chased the fluency of foreign theology while neglecting the favor of ancient truth. We have imported programs from America, strategies from Europe, and methods from Asia, and we have wondered why they bear no fruit in our soil.
The South African church does not need more eloquence; we need more evidence of God's presence. We do not need smoother preachers; we need holier people. We do not need more polished worship; we need more powerful witness. The world is not impressed by our fluency; the world is starving for authentic favor.
When the prison keeper looked at Joseph, he saw something he could not explain. There was a quality, a weight, a glory that defied natural categories. That is what we need—a distinction that cannot be duplicated, a presence that cannot be manufactured, a favor that cannot be earned.
I think of the recent news about the men deceived into fighting in foreign wars, lured by promises of wealth and skills . They chased fluency in warfare, but found only destruction. The world's promises are always hollow. But the favor of God leads to paths of purpose and protection.
The Ultimate Favor: Jesus Christ
Let me take you to the ultimate expression of favor over fluency. When God wanted to save the world, He did not send a philosopher with perfect arguments, though Christ is the Logos, the divine logic incarnate. He did not send a politician with flawless rhetoric, though Christ spoke as no one ever spoke. He sent a baby. Helpless. Vulnerable. Dependent.
The Incarnation is the supreme example of divine disarmament. God bypassed the fluent to embrace the fragile. He chose a manger over a palace, fishermen over scholars, a cross over a throne. Why? Because His favor does not depend on our fluency. His grace is perfected in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Jesus Christ, the ultimate Favor of God, did not cling to His equality with God but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:6-7). And because of that surrender, God exalted Him to the highest place. The pattern is unchanging: Humility invites favor. Surrender attracts promotion. Death produces resurrection.
A Prayer for Favor in Akasia and Beyond
As I conclude this meditation, sitting on my veranda as the sun sets over the Magaliesberg, painting our sky in shades of amber and purple, I am overwhelmed by the goodness of a God who favors the undeserving. I did not earn His attention. I cannot command His blessing. Yet He gives it freely, lavishly, relentlessly.
Friend, whether you are reading this in a comfortable home in Akasia, a shack in Khayelitsha, a flat in Hillbrow, or a village in Limpopo, hear this truth: Your fluency is not your future. Your favor is.
Stop striving for the approval of people who cannot promote you. Stop polishing presentations for audiences that cannot secure your destiny. Start seeking the face of the One who holds the keys of David, who opens and no one can shut, who shuts and no one can open.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, the Favor of the Father made flesh, I come before You with empty hands and a hungry heart. Forgive me for chasing fluency while neglecting Your face. Forgive me for trusting my networks more than Your presence. Forgive me for polishing my performance instead of positioning my prayers.
I ask for what I cannot earn: supernatural favor. Not for my glory, but for Yours. Not for my advancement, but for Your kingdom. Let Your favor find me where my feet are—in my home, my workplace, my community. Open doors that no man can shut. Grant me influence I do not deserve. Use me as a conduit of Your grace to a nation desperate for Your touch.
And when favor comes, give me the humility to carry it, the wisdom to steward it, and the generosity to share it. In the mighty name of Jesus, who traded His throne for a cross so that I could trade my shame for His glory, I pray. Amen.
The Final Word
Beloved, the prison could not contain Joseph. The pit could not destroy him. The betrayal could not define him. Why? Because the Lord was with him.
Your circumstances are not your conclusion. Your lack of fluency is not your limitation. Your forgotten status is not your final chapter. When God grants grace, even the opposition will finance your destination. The people who dismissed you will become your distributors. The systems that excluded you will become your platforms.
Don't just polish your performance. Start positioning your prayers. For favor does not flow to the fluent; it flows to the faithful. And the Faithful One, Jesus Christ, is waiting to release it over your life today.
From my heart to yours, from Akasia to the ends of the earth: Go in favor. Live in favor. Expect favor. For the God who favoured Joseph in a prison cell is the same God who sits on the throne today. And He has not forgotten you.
Amen.
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