Esther 8-10

The chapters in Esther are so short that I have combined the last three chapters of the book. Esther's story is such a wonderful story of hope and redemption. I am sure that throughout the time that this was happening, Esther was having some major anxiety and was probably feeling like she wasn't in control...and she wasn't in control at all. God was always in control. I firmly believe that Esther knew that God was in control which is why she asked for fasting and prayer in the previous chapters. I have been thinking about my control or lack of control as far as my life goes. Some days I feel like I'm getting nothing done. I run around like a chicken with its head cut off and at the end of the day I have accomplished nothing but a half done job of cleaning in each room of the house! I try to control things but it never fails, something happens that causes my whole day to be thrown off. Esther could not control anything that happened. She had to fully rely on God and that's what allowed her to be calm in the midst of a very stressful and dangerous situation. Esther didn't just go before the king once without being invited. She did it several times. Can you imagine what was going through her mind as she walked up towards those doors. I can imagine her heart pounding so loudly that she could hear it. I'm sure her adrenaline was going. i know she probably thought she was going to die. There was a large possibility that she could be punished for going before the king without being summoned. I believe that Esther's story was included in the Bible because it shows us how God works behind the scenes to bring forth victory in every situation if we allow him to work and we fully trust in him. Esther was a Jewish woman who broke cultural norms to be the voice of her people. If she hadn't done that, then Gods plan for Jesus would have been altered. When we don't listen to God and obey his commands, we are not the only ones affected. There are tons of people who don't listen to God, myself included, and we all have altered the plan that God has for our life. BUT the good thing about that is that God can and will bring beauty from every bad situation if we allow it! It has happened in my life and it can happen in yours also. Giving our lives over to God and allowing him to work in our lives will fix the issues that we have caused ourselves so far. There is nothing that God cannot do and nothing that is too big for God to handle. The book of Esther proves that. Because of Esther and Mordecai's obedience to God, a whole nation was saved.