God is in Control!
What a privilege to read and study the book of Esther this week. What a great story that God is sovereign over every area of our lives. Sovereign means He is in control and knows what is going to happen to each of us!!
The book of Esther is a reminder of God’s divine guidance and care over our lives. He cares so much for us!! Although we may question certain circumstances in our lives, we must have faith that God is in control! We must have faith and work through both the pleasant and difficult times so that we can serve Him effectively – at home, at church, and at work!
To write about this whole chapter would make this a super long blog, so I will pick one thing Esther – the Jewish woman appointed Queen of Persia – did to serve God. She risked her life to save His people’s lives – the Jews.
“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.”
Esther 4:15-16
Esther was willing to die to save His people. But she had a plan! People who say they don’t have plans or don’t make plans in life in my opinion are living dangerously and without God’s guidance. Her plan was to fast and with fasting comes prayer – especially in the Old Testament. (Duet 9:9 & Ezra 8:21-23). She asked her uncle Mordecai and the community of Jews to come together during this difficult time and fast with her. United they went to God!!
Esther is my hero because she knew what she had to do, and she knew it could cost her her life. She did not remain silent when she could have, she was the Queen and in a very comfortable sweet put up in the palace, she did not need to speak for God’s people, but she did!! She was more concerned for others than for her own security. #amazing
How many times do we stay silent rather than stand up for what is right? As Esther did, we need to decide to do what God wants and then trust Him for the outcome. We must pray and fast when we hit those times of confusion and execute a plan. Courage, while often vital, does not replace careful planning. Esther combined courage with careful planning!! What a great combo and lesson for us.
Queen Esther trusted God above all things. She still respected her husband the King and treated him kindly, but she was bold for our God! She risked talking to the King, knowing he could have her killed if he did not want to give her time to speak. (She was so brave!!)
Whatever your place in life, please know God can use you! Be open, be available, and be ready because God can use you to do what others are afraid to even consider. #boldforGod
We encourage you to remember that God is in control! Even in a world where we see the hands of evil at work, God is still in control. Even when we are confused by what is going on around us and our lives seem to be in turmoil, we must trust in God’s protection and retain our integrity by doing what we know is right! Without integrity our character will diminish and we will not serve our God for His glory.
I know recently I have felt hopeless in a situation and this story of Esther has reignited my spark to be bold for God! I encourage you to go read the book of Esther. WE as Christian working women must not despair in times of hopelessness and always do what is right and then NEVER forget that…God is in control of our lives!
Go serve and honor Him.
Stay Rooted,
Lisa & Heather
