“Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to
any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the
other virgins. So he set a royal crown
on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.” Esther 2:17
The account of how an orphaned Jewess became the
Queen of Susa is full of many remarkable features and themes. But one theme stands out in particular- how
God causes his favor to rest on people to bring about his plan for mankind.
The book of Esther is unusual in that the name of
God is not expressly mentioned; and yet, the hand of God is seen throughout the
book, especially in the life of young Esther.
In her early years, she is orphaned, having lost
both her father and mother. She has to
go live with her cousin and his family.
In addition, she is born a Jew where her people are living in exile in
Persia. Being a Jew indicated that she was of the
people who are the apple of God’s eye, but a stench in the nostrils of many in
the world. All of these things put
Esther in less than a favorable position to be queen. Queens are traditionally chosen from other
royal families, seldom is a Queen chosen from a minority race and certainly not
an orphan.
The Bible doesn’t say much else about her childhood,
but one thing we can agree on- her start was less than favorable. But this story proves that God can make
something beautiful out of anything. We
just have to be yielded for him to do his work.
We don’t have to be the prettiest, the smartest, from the best family,
from the best schools, etc. We just have
to know our place in the Kingdom.
This is where His ability to make us qualified comes
into play. When the way we view ourselves
differs from the way He sees us, we must change our mind! When Satan comes with condemnation telling us
we are unworthy, reminding us of our past, our shortcomings, our failure, all
we have to do is remind him (and ourselves) about what the Bible says about us.
God is all we need.
He has all the resources we can ever need. He knows the areas we must improve and the
areas we must crucify. He plants within
us the germ of all we need to fulfill our destiny, but it is only realized as
we submit to God, much as Esther submitted to those in authority over her.
The favor of God caused Esther to be crowned queen
above all the other young virgins in the land.
Favor is defined as the state of being approved or held in high regard. It can also mean preferential treatment. The truth is that God can make other people
look at us favorably. He can cause
others to want to bless us, to promote us, and to give us opportunities.
As a Christian, we do not have to manipulate and
connive like the world does. If there is
something that God wills for us, we can trust Him to cause us to find favor
with the right people at the right time to bring us into our destiny.
Dear Lord, allow your favor to rest on me today. Fulfill your plans and purposes for me. Help me to not rest upon my own abilities,
but rather to walk and trust in your divine favor. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Sherri
