Psalm 26:2-3 Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.
1 Cor 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Good Afternoon,
Today I want to keep us encouraged to follow after God’s own heart and experience His love. Yesterday we learned about Ruth and how God’s love positioned her for her new assignment. Today we will focus on the book of Esther and journey through her story to bring us one step closer in God doing a work in and through us with His love. Both of these women stepped out on faith, relied on hope and allowed His love to lead them into something new.
In the book of Esther we find a woman who is without a father or a mother. A story twisted by favor and fate. She is adopted by a relative who mentors her into God’s assignment for her life. She was a woman who had to hide her true identify as she was sent into the king’s quarters to take part in his search for a new queen. I like to think of this story as Esther being in the right place at the right time to be used by God’s love for her people.
During a banquet King Ahasuerus wanted to show off Queen Vashti and she refused. The queen’s disobedience caused the king to divorce her. This is the start of his search for a new queen. Although Esther was not of his people, she had Mordecai, who served as her protector to guide her into his selection process. Because she was a Jew, she did not qualify to be apart of the selection, but in the end it qualified her to risk her life and save her people.
In the beginning of her journey Esther did not know she would be positioned by love to be used to save her people. Once an adopted girl under the direction of her cousin Mordecai and living amongst her people with very little, suddenly she was released to experience God’s love and turnaround in her favor.
This teaches us that some times our obstacles can be used by God to work miracles in our situations. We can see in this story that it didn’t matter to God where she was from because he still could do a work in and through her life. So I want us to realize that same thing is possible for our lives. It does not matter where we come from, it does not matter what our situation may look like and it does not matter if people say we don’t qualify. If God has a plan for our lives it will happen in due time.
In this story we find that after being led into the king’s quarters Esther goes through twelve months of beautification and the king finds delight in her. Out of all the women he could have chosen, he favored her. When she has her night with the king he falls in love with her and places her above all the others.
This part of the story reminds me of how we give our lives over to God and think instantly it will change for the better. The reality is that we must all go through a beautification process before we take ownership of our promise. God needs to take time with us and recondition our thoughts, heart and soul before we are fully be released into our new assignment.
This story is a story of love and selfless devotion. It is filled with romance, bravery and honor. Esther was made queen and took brave steps in her position to save her people. Because her true identity was never revealed the story paints a picture that Esther was sent into her assignment and through love she was positioned to be able to save her people.
She risked her life by stepping out on faith to save her people, but because God worked on her behalf she was able live out her purpose. In those days no one, including the queen, could appear before the king without being summoned. For her to do so was a death sentence, but she risked it because she valued her people and knew that the king was the only one that could stop the hit put out on her people.
Today I encourage you to seek God and ask Him to position you according to your purpose. I encourage you to allow God to lead you into being in the right place at the right time to experience your turnaround. I believe that it was through God’s love and purpose for Esther’s life that she was released from her people and through His love was able to save them.
Do you doubt yourself today in the areas of love and happiness? Do you think that God has no plan for you? Do you hold yourself back from the plans God have for you because of where you are from? Are you holding yourself back because you feel you don’t qualify?
As we see in this story God qualifies us for our assignment and it’s through His love for us that we are released in order to fulfill His assignments for our life. So seek the Lord and position yourself today to be released into your new assignment in 2010!
Blessings,
Tennille L. Whittington
Prayer for Today
As I read this Lord I asked that You align me according to my next assignment, Lord I ask that You lead me to the right place in the right time to be used to my full potential, Lord only You know the purpose You have for my life, Lord I am ready to step out on faith and experience You love, guidance, protection and trust in You, Lord I cast all my cares of the past and I step forward towards my goal, Lord I am sick and tired of being sick and tired, Lord I know that my life serves more of a purpose, Lord I know that You can do a new work in me so I can be used to Your honor and Your glory, Lord give me the bravery of Queen Esther as I submit wholeheartedly to You today! In Jesus name, Amen
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