April 13, 2011 The Big Issue

The Big Issues
Read Esther 1-4

Est 1:1 This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.

I AM thinking about issues we face in our lives. Some are little and some are huge. Some come and go, and some stay around for a long time. How do we deal with them?
To answer that question, we look at a simple little girl whom God used in a most remarkable way. Esther was an orphan. Raised by her uncle Mordecai, a learned man, she seems to have had a strong sense of who she was.
She was a Jew. She was one of God’s chosen people. She was special. And when God moved events to put her into Xerxes’ court, to become his Queen, she had a huge issue to face.
Her people—all the Jews—were to be killed. And to stop this, she had to face the most powerful man in the world. This young lady from a simple background would have to enter to plead for her people without invitation into the presence of a man who could easily destroy her.
So, you think you have big issues? Here’s death staring Esther in the face. It wasn’t easy. She wavered. But she stared back. She knew who to ultimately trust. She trusted her God. She fasted and prayed to prepare for her task. She had others fast and pray for her.
She turned to God. He used her for victory. Esther didn’t win the battle. God did. But Esther is honored, and God blessed her because she trusted him. Esther obeyed him. That’s what Esther did with her big issue.


Pause and Consider: What do you do with your big issues?