September 14
Ezra 6:14-22, 4:6; Esther 1:1-4:17
Some of us may feel like our lives are just one trial after another. We may feel like we are playing whack-a-mole or trying to plug holes in a dam with our fingers, as we experience hardship after hardship. If you feel like this, then you should feel right at home in the Bible. The Israelites had experienced exile and now faced what would have seemed like certain genocide. Haman was given permission by King Xerxes to "destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews" (Esther 3:13). The response of Mordecai to this news is instructive for us. Mordecai mourns and weeps over this; yet is still filled with hope. When he communicates with Esther, he tells her, “Relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise" (Esther 4:14). He knows that some people may die, but God will not allow all his people to be destroyed.
At this point in history, there were still unfulfilled promises of God, including that of the Messiah, so complete destruction is not a possibility. So, Mordecai weeps, but he weeps with hope. As we face disturbing news or circumstances, we also need to cling to the hope available in God, and like Esther, consider how we need to respond.
Father God, the world is filled with hatred, evil, and sin. As I mourn my brokenness and that in the world, help me to remain hopeful. Help me find the hope available in you, regardless of the circumstances of my life. Amen.
What gives you hope regardless of your present circumstances?
Some of us may feel like our lives are just one trial after another. We may feel like we are playing whack-a-mole or trying to plug holes in a dam with our fingers, as we experience hardship after hardship. If you feel like this, then you should feel right at home in the Bible. The Israelites had experienced exile and now faced what would have seemed like certain genocide. Haman was given permission by King Xerxes to "destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews" (Esther 3:13). The response of Mordecai to this news is instructive for us. Mordecai mourns and weeps over this; yet is still filled with hope. When he communicates with Esther, he tells her, “Relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise" (Esther 4:14). He knows that some people may die, but God will not allow all his people to be destroyed.
At this point in history, there were still unfulfilled promises of God, including that of the Messiah, so complete destruction is not a possibility. So, Mordecai weeps, but he weeps with hope. As we face disturbing news or circumstances, we also need to cling to the hope available in God, and like Esther, consider how we need to respond.
Father God, the world is filled with hatred, evil, and sin. As I mourn my brokenness and that in the world, help me to remain hopeful. Help me find the hope available in you, regardless of the circumstances of my life. Amen.
What gives you hope regardless of your present circumstances?
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