GOD has chosen US to FULFILL His GREATER PLANS

 

May 21 Bible Reading: Esther Chapters 1-3

GOD has chosen US to FULFILL His GREATER PLANS

"And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti." (Esther 2:15-17)

The Jews had been in exile for many years in the land of Babylon. When power changed to the hands of the Persians, they were still there. At the beginning of the story of Esther, the King of Persia is displeased with his queen, and removes her from her royal position. Advisors suggest that all the fairest young maidens in the land be brought to the King over a period of time that he might choose a new queen from among them.

A young Jewess Hadassah, whose Persian name is Esther, is among the young maidens brought to the palace. At the insistence of her guardian, Uncle Mordecai, she conceals her national identity. After winning the favor of the King, she becomes Queen. The mystery of why Esther was chosen as the queen among all the other beautiful young women is only revealed at the end of this narrative where God is not mentioned – not even once! However, God was working behind the scenes all the time to thwart the schemes of the enemy to annihilate His children. Esther, who was barely out of girlhood, was thrust into a setting where she ultimately had influence with one of the most powerful men in the world, King Xerxes of Persia.

God has sometimes used armies and sometimes performed spectacular miracles in order to rescue His children. But He is not limited to those strategies. He can just as easily use one obscure person – like Joseph or Esther - and manipulate the circumstances around them to allow them to be the agent of His salvation. God can use young women, like Esther, just as easily as young warriors, like David, to accomplish His plans for His people.

We can serve God and fulfill the role that He called us even in an environment where everyone around us is ungodly. It is more important for us to understand that God chooses us to fulfill His greater plans that we cannot even comprehend. This is what our Lord Jesus has told us: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." (John 15:16)

Like Esther, if we are sensitive to God’s greater purposes in our lives, we can be a blessing to others and effective in the kingdom of God. Let us be content where God has placed us and serve Him faithfully with the best of our abilities!

"Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ's slave. You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brethren, let each one remain with God in that state in which he was called." (1 Cor 7:20-24)