 “On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman” (Esth. 8:1-2 ESV).
Taken at face value, everything seems to be going well. Haman is dead. Esther is honored. And Mordecai is promoted. But as we’ll see, Esther isn’t content. Even though Haman is dead, his plan to annihilate the Jews is still alive. So, let’s look at the rest of the story.  “Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17-18 ESV).
Habakkuk was living in a troubling time. The Babylonians were about to invade his land, spreading violence and destruction throughout the land. How do you deal with hardships? Do you spend time rejoicing in the God of your salvation? I know I don’t do this very well. I spend most of my time complaining about whatever is troubling me. But Habakkuk rejoiced. Not because he didn’t face troubles. But because his joy was placed completely in the Lord. Not in the things of this earth. So, whenever he considered the famine and desolation of his land, he remained joyful. Where have you placed your joy? Like Habakkuk, we must strive to place our joy in Christ. We must always remember our “yet.” - Jordy  I’m not one to write about current events. I wholeheartedly believe in the sufficiency of Scripture, and my goal is always to present it faithfully. My object in writing this week is nothing more or less than that. But the connection between Esther 7 and the current upheaval of our American society is striking.
 In the Book of Esther, God is never mentioned. It is almost as if He is absent. I don’t know about you, but I’ve lived through many seasons where I have felt this exact same way. Wondering where God is in my story. It can feel pretty hopeless. But though a situation may feel hopeless, God is never helpless.
Let’s look a little at Esther’s story. |