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March 14 Purim Again

The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. ~Proverbs 10:28

And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? ~Esther 4:14B

The Festival of Purim was celebrated this past Monday, March 9, in the Jewish community. Purim is the remembrance and celebration of the story of Esther. Can there be any greater example of today’s Proverb, and further illustration of the devotional yesterday, than in the story of Esther? I would have loved to include the entire book but decided it would be more efficient to quote the pivotal verse of the story of Esther and encourage you to read it yourself today, if you get the chance.

We talked yesterday about the seen and unseen forces for justice that surround us. The Jewish people, in the book of Esther certainly thought that they were facing a hopeless situation in the kingdom of Persia. Then, through fasting and prayer, the unseen moved, and an amazing deliverance unfolded before them.

Consider Haman. He was hoping to destroy God’s people. He had gained the trust of the king and laid what I’m sure he must have thought was a full proof plan for the annihilation of the Jews. He was the Hitler of his day. When God moved, because “the hopes of the wicked come to nothing,” Haman failed. God’s justice prevailed and in their deliverance, the Jews experienced great joy as we can all understand!

Over and over we read in the Proverbs, that though the wicked loom large and imposing, there is more to our situation than what we can see. Sometimes we are in situations in which that is very hard to believe. We don’t have trouble claiming that God is faithful in general. But the doubts come as we face uncharted waters in our lives, places and situations that we’ve never faced before, that prompt us to ask, “Will He remain faithful now too?”

The general statement is easier to cling to than the specific circumstance. If we can hold on to the fact that what is new to us isn’t new to Him and when we can remember that He sees the entire picture, where we only see a tiny piece of it, that should be able to help us trust Him for all of it, our small situation as well as the big picture. There is joy for us when we can hold fast to Him. The plans of the wicked will fall to nothing eventually.

Prayer: I know Lord, that as long as I trust you and pray for justice, then no matter what happens to me, even if you don’t move mountains or part the waters, I will be okay, safe in the middle of your plans for me. I praise you that I can have such confidence in you! At the same time, Lord, help me to act with wisdom, employing a reasoned response to every situation, that I trust is guided by Your Word and Spirit in me as I walk with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: His Eye Is on The Sparrow

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