Does it feel like we’re in the “information overload” era?

It sure does to me!

Sometimes I have to turn off the cell phone, the tv, the radio just to have a little bit of quiet time in this noisy world.  There’s a desire to keep in touch, though, and so I usually keep that cell phone nearby to stay connected.  And I need to check my email to see what friends and family might be saying.

But what happened to our personal connections?

What if we kept some cards on hand just to drop a note to someone – a friend, family or church member to say we’re praying or we’re thinking of them.

Adding some encouragement to e-mail does a heart good.

Yours and theirs.

Is there someone you need to thank?  Do it today.

She was an orphan, a little girl who had been cared for by her cousin Mordecai after the death of her parents. Mordecai looked upon Esther as his daughter.

And she was a Jewess in a foreign land.  She was part of the Jewish group whose parents and grandparents were taken from Jerusalem and held captive in this strange land. The city where Esther and Mordecai lived was called Shusan which was part of the 127 provinces ruled by King Xerxes.

During a party, the current queen (Vashti) greatly displeased the king. And, by the advice sought from the princes of his kingdom, Queen Vashti was banished because of her disobedience.

The servants to the king suggested that he allow them to search for a new queen by bringing in fair young virgins from the various provinces. They would be brought into the Womens’ House within the palace in order to enter into a year long purification process before being presented to the king.

This suggestion pleased the king and he agreed.

Esther was brought into the palace at this time.  I can only imagine how frightened she and her cousin Mordecai were.  Esther had lost her parents and now she was being separated from her one and only family member.

Mordecai instructed Esther to remain silent concerning her Jewishness. She obeyed his instructions as she had always done, as his adopted daughter.

Esther found favor with the king and he crowned her Queen.

Mordecai worked within the palace grounds and one day heard two men (“Bigthan” and “Teresh”) scheme to kill the king. He reported this impending scheme to Queen Esther who documented this within the palace and specifically mentioned Mordecai as the informant. An investigation ensued and the truth emerged. Both Bigthan and Teresh were hung from a tree.

After this event, the king advanced a man by the name of Haman. In fact, Haman was set above the princes. When Haman entered a room, the servants bowed in deep reverence to him.

All except Mordecai.

Mordecai did not hold Haman in high esteem.  Now, of course, the servants noticed that Mordecai did not bow to Haman and asked him why. He would not answer them. In fact, they asked him “daily” why he wouldn’t bow down to Haman. No answer.

The servants decided to draw Haman’s attention to Mordecai’s actions.  They also drew attention to the fact that Mordecai was a Jew.

Haman was watching Mordecai very closely. And when he saw for himself that Mordecai refused to reverently bow while in his presence, he seethed with anger.  He plotted revenge not only against Mordecai but against all Jews within the kingdom.

Haman’s revenge plot unfolded when he brought to the attention of the king that a specific culture of people were living in his kingdom who had diverse beliefs and who were not following the king’s laws. Haman’s recommendation to the king was that all of these people be destroyed.

The king agreed and gave Haman his signet ring. By this gesture, he literally gave Haman the authority to carry out this plot. Haman immediately sent letters to the princes of the provinces to carry out the destruction of all Jews.

Scripture advises that the city of Shusan was “perplexed” by this decree. You see, the Jews who were brought into captivity were working and living among the native citizens of the provinces, for the most part. They were not held captive in prisons.  The Jews did not live separately and were well known to their fellow citizens.

When Mordecai read the decree, he tore his clothes and then put on sackcloth and ashes. He cried loudly and bitterly before the king’s gate. As the news spread throughout the kingdom, crying and mourning by the Jews began.

The news was brought to Esther by her maids and chamberlains and she was extremely upset. She sent new clothing to Mordecai to replace his sackcloth and ashes, however, he refused it.  Esther then sent out one of her chamberlains (“Hatach”) to Mordecai for more information. Mordecai provided her with the actual death decree and he also requested that she plead with the king personally in order to spare her people.

Esther responded by explaining to Mordecai that it was risky for her to approach the king without being summoned by him first. In fact, if the king did not extend his scepter to Esther, she would be killed. Mordecai advised Esther that if she didn’t step up to this task, the Lord would send someone else to rescue the Jewish people and then Esther and her father’s house would be destroyed.

Mordecai advised Esther that she was placed in this position “for such a time as this”.

Esther asked Mordecai to fast and pray for three days and she did the same in her house. After three days, Esther approached the king and he did extend the royal scepter to her. She invited both the king and Haman to a royal banquet to be held in their honor.

The king and Haman attended the banquet at Esther’s request. During the feast, the king pressed Esther to reveal what her petition was and she answered that she wished for the king and Haman to attend yet another banquet the following day. The king agreed and Haman returned home joyfully.

Haman proceeded to brag about his blessings to his family, however, his enjoyment of those blessings, in his view, was marred by the presence of Mordecai.  Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and his friends advised him to build the gallows and then recommend to the king that Mordecai be hanged from it.

Meanwhile, the king could not sleep that evening, so he began to read through the book of records. He came across the story of how Mordecai saved his life by reporting Bigthan and Teresh’s plot to kill the king. The king discovered that Mordecai had never been rewarded for his good deed and enlisted Haman to parade him through the city.

This enraged Haman, however, his spirits were lifted just thinking about the second banquet that he had been invited to by the king and Queen Esther.

During the second banquet, Queen Esther laid out her petition to the king to save the Jewish people from certain death.  She divulged to the king that the evil man who had set the Jewish people’s demise into motion was none other than Haman.

The king hung Haman from the gallows and the Jewish people were saved.  The signet ring that had been given to Haman was removed and given to Mordecai, instead. Mordecai became the king’s right hand man.

Esther was obviously placed within the palace by God for a very definite purpose.  And the Lord tested her faithfulness and courage.  She respected and loved her cousin, Mordecai, and looked to him for fatherly guidance and wisdom, which he so beautifully provided.

Once Esther saw what she needed to do, how did she move forward?

She prayed and fasted.

And believed.

How can you use this story in your own life? Esther became a leader because she trusted God to protect and guide her.

Is God asking you to step into a ministry position?  Are you afraid of new territory?

Are you being offered a job that uses many of your God-given talents but you lack the confidence to accept and move forward?

Fast and pray.  Ask God for guidance and wisdom.

Ask Him to show you His Will for your life.

Then, move forward to receive all that He has for you.

And remember….thank Him for all He has done for you.

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