God's Hand

Esther was a jewish girl who lost her parents when she was young.  Her cousin, Mordecai, adopted her and raised her as his own.  Knowing this we can assume that she had a rough childhood.  Losing parents at any age is difficult but as a child I am sure it is even harder.  It probably took some of her joy away and possibly caused her to be a quiet, shy girl.  Now, as a result of the kings decree, Esther and the other virgin women in the empire, were called into the royal harem at Susa.  There they would  all undergo beauty treatments that lasted a year before being introduced to the king for a night.  After which they would be sent back to the second harem with all of the kings wives, where she would live forever, never going to the king again unless he called on her.  This situation, today, would not go over well at all.  It is only natural for us to be afraid for Esther and to be a lot angry at the power the king possessed and the way in which they used women back.

My point in sharing this story is even thought Ester had a less than ideal childhood and as a young teen was taken into the kings custody to be primped and beautified for the kings enjoyment, God had his hand in her life.  He had a very special plan for her from before she was born, and even though things happened that were hard for her, and things happened that didn't seem fair, God never left her side.  He was always working to bring her to the place she needed to be to save the Jews from destruction and death.

We all are Ester's.  We have less than ideal situations we have overcome, or that we are living through right now, but we have to trust in God's plan for our lives.  We have all been on a roller coaster journey that at times we felt as if God had left our side.  Esther could have become a rebel teen and she could have been angry for being drug to the king's castle.  She could have been rude to Hegai, the man in charge, but instead she was kind and beautiful.  He could see that she was special and treated her with special care making sure that she was the most beautiful for the king.  Esther trusted her God and fasted and prayed to Him.  Even though she may have felt let down, as a child, for losing her parents, Esther still trusted in God to save her and her people.  She was obedient to the king but more importantly she was obedient to her God.            

The Book of Esther

Please click and read all of Esther.  Keep notes and find all of the other ways you can see God's hand in her life.  Please share them with us!  Or if you have an Esther story we would love to hear it!  Please email us or comment below.