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"Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace." (Esther 2:13 NKJV)
I was reading from a very familiar story in the Scripture of how a young Jewish orphan girl was chosen to be the queen of one of the greatest kingdoms of her time, all according to God’s divine providence. Haddasah was raised up with the knowledge of the only true God by her uncle in a culture that was entirely pagan. She most likely didn’t have the opportunity to have a formal education in a Jewish school or have weekly Jewish youth meetings in her synagogue and yet everything that’s unspoken about her points to the depth of the faith she carried. So much so that she was willing to abandon herself into the hands of an Almighty God amid all uncertainties.
What stood out most about the character of Esther was that she was willing to bloom where she was planted. Her name changed at this point since her uncle’s premonition had her conceal her Jewish identity. Although she was uprooted from her familiar environment with no promise of marriage prospects, she was not perturbed by it. God, because of her attitude was able to give her special favor in the eyes of the chief overseer of the Harlem and as a result she was placed in the best suite with 7 attendants to look after her. When we are pushed in front of circumstances where we must lose every bit of our identity, our attitude matters before the One who sees our heart. Our responses that spring from faith in the One who placed us there, pleases the Lord.
The beauty treatment lasted an entire year. Then one day she gets to be presented before the king. This is how one would go before the king- anything she wanted was given to her. In this case, what she chose to adorn herself with largely determined her ability to please the king. Here again, when it was Esther’s turn, she chose not to exercise her own will. She let the overseer decide what she’ll take with her. She was not striving to get selected for this lofty position, but reverentially submitted herself into the hands of her mighty God. Surely enough God gave her incredible favor even before the king.
All this made me relook at another verse in the Bible spoken by our great Lord Himself: “Ask, and it will be given to you;..." (Matthew 7:7a NKJV); and "...ask anything in MY NAME..." (John 14:14b NKJV). I have often wondered about the deeper purpose of these verses. The true blessings that the Lord wants us to have are not temporal. And yet how much time do we invest in seeking what truly matters? Do we often find ourselves insisting our own way in prayer or do we seek to humbly walk with the Lord who is able to give us a fresh understanding in every situation.
In all our troubles, He is working in us, cleansing us from the worldly stench we carry and filling us with the sweet aroma of His presence in us. Through the Holy Spirit, He has promised to guide us to the end. This is the only way His beauty can fill our lives. We will no longer be subject to the corruption of this world and through His continual work in us He will present us with great beauty (spotless and without blemish) before the Throne (See Ephesians 5:27). So let us learn to depend on the Holy Spirit in all our asking.
Nisha George
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