Lessons to learn from the book of Esther

I was thinking about Esther and how she went from being “nobody” to “the queen.” Queen in a kingdom so huge it covered most of the world. Nothing suggested she would be queen and in that palace. How far away, sometimes life can take us from where God would eventually take us, and God allows it. I wonder if anyone thought Esther would be great having lost both parents and was left in the care of a poor relative. As the hymn write says “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform.” Interestingly, wherever you are at, He is there with you and working to ensure that heaven makes the right turns at the right time. This is the reason I can say with certainty that you will not be a day longer in that pain than you ought.

Job 23: 10 “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”

Obviously, a man’s destiny cannot be determined from where he is at; for with God, the pattern drawn by a man’s life may not almost suggest where they will end up. The experiences may add to build character in him though; character that enables one function with godly wisdom in that predestined role. I love all the degrees from the ivy league schools, which of course help in their own way but they do not determine the course of a man’s life nor do they determine his/her destiny. At the very best, they serve to enhance the expression of what the person was destined to be when they enter the role so that there is no need to kill, steal and destroy, because you want your children to go to schools that you cannot reasonably afford. 

God is mindful of the destiny of the children He gave you and will arrange all that is required for them to have all they need to fulfill that destiny. Since every child’s life and/or destiny is different, please be careful how you make decisions concerning your children. If you have to do terrible things to pay for what you consider “a good life” them, you are probably tampering with their destiny. They would ultimately loose that which God has not given them or have to steal and maybe kill to keep it and still lose it eventually. Who would have thought Vashti would one day be dethroned? When it was time for Esther to step into her role, she had to relinquish that role. We must never find ourselves struggling to draw honor from a role; roles come and go but when God’s honor is upon a person, it is permanent whether or not they are in that role. 

Proverbs 31: 30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.”

Beauty is good but as we learn from Vashti’s story, it does not guarantee anything. At best, it can only enhance what you already have. Sometimes we are deceived into thinking that beauty gave Esther the throne but it didn’t. All the ladies chosen for the contest were beautiful and nowhere does the bible say she was the most beautiful of them all. It was her character that won her the place of Queen. Esther was wise and humble enough to give the eunuch the right to make all her beauty decisions for that special night. She obviously had behaved well enough for him to like her enough to “put his best foot forward” for her. Meanwhile, he had been at the job for long enough to know what the king appreciates in a woman. She must have known that if God did not give her the role, no one could.