Doing God's Will
Esther 4:14 is the most famous verse in the whole book of Esther. We have all heard the phrase "for such a time as this" used in many different contexts. It is a great truth, but we need to examine it for all of the meaning.
God made sure that Esther was selected to be the queen in time for her to save the Jewish people from destruction by foiling Haman's plot. However, she still had to choose to obey God and intercede for her people before the king. It was a risky proposition, because even the queen could not enter the presence of the king without an invitation. Then, she could have been killed, if her request angered him. Therefore, it was a huge decision. Esther made the right choice, and she acted wisely in presenting her request, so it was granted.
The verse tells us that if she had made the decision to be safe and not approach the king, that God would have used another way to protect His people, and Esther and her family would have been punished severely. Often, we do not think of this side of doing God's will. When we fail, we do not thwart God's ultimate will, but we suffer the consequences of disobedience. We miss the blessings of God's favor, too. That is why it is so important for us to always follow God's will.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Esther 8-10 and Job 1.
God made sure that Esther was selected to be the queen in time for her to save the Jewish people from destruction by foiling Haman's plot. However, she still had to choose to obey God and intercede for her people before the king. It was a risky proposition, because even the queen could not enter the presence of the king without an invitation. Then, she could have been killed, if her request angered him. Therefore, it was a huge decision. Esther made the right choice, and she acted wisely in presenting her request, so it was granted.
The verse tells us that if she had made the decision to be safe and not approach the king, that God would have used another way to protect His people, and Esther and her family would have been punished severely. Often, we do not think of this side of doing God's will. When we fail, we do not thwart God's ultimate will, but we suffer the consequences of disobedience. We miss the blessings of God's favor, too. That is why it is so important for us to always follow God's will.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Esther 8-10 and Job 1.