Much like the story of Queen Esther, God often uses seemingly ordinary situations to bring about significant moments in our lives. Give thanks for the way God works all things together for His glory.
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Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and don’t you love the book of Esther?
I mean, just look at how the sixth chapter of Esther begins, okay. The first verse appears obscure and ambiguous. But look what it says; get this, it says: “That night the king could not sleep; so he ordered the book of the chronicles, the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him.” Okay, that seems like nothing more than a little information, not all that necessary. But not so; not so at all. Because let me set the scene. King Xerxes, the emperor of Persia, had a chief advisor named Haman. This evil advisor to the king became offended by Esther's guardian, Mordecai. So, Haman gets permission from the king to have all the Jews killed. But Queen Esther decides to foil the plan. But she knows that approaching the king with her request is extremely risky; it could mean her death. However, the very night before she presents her idea to the king, God engineers this strange set of circumstances.
Because King Xerxes could not get to sleep – even with servants to fan away the heat, musicians to serenade him, a harem to delight him, and endless wine to drink himself into oblivion. But instead of calling for the fanners, and the musicians, and the wine stewards, and the concubines, oddly enough, he calls for someone to read him the chronicles of his reign. That is guaranteed to make him fall asleep.
Well, as the reader stands over King Xerxes’ bed and drones on, an obscure passage gets the king’s attention. What he learns that night in the pages of those chronicles – and it’s what chapter six of Esther is all about – precisely prepares Xerxes for an empire-altering request which his wife, Queen Esther, will make of him the next day. The obscure verse tips the scales – and King Xerxes will grant Queen Esther’s request. And in so doing, it’ll end up saving the Jewish race from annihilation. God’s people will be spared, and centuries later, this people will produce a young boy who will grow up to die for the sins of the world. All because an emperor could not sleep.
Now, here’s the lesson: God delights in arranging coincidences in your life, too. God uses the most innocuous, everyday bland situations to engineer the most significant moments in your life. And how he does it is one of the great mysteries, but He does do it. Totally natural. But mind-bogglingly complicated. And I share this fascinating story today, because I want you to see how every word in Scripture has import. My husband Ken and I have been learning this over the years as we read through the Bible in a year, and we’re doing it again in 2020. And I invite you to join us – it’s not too late to download your daily chronological reading schedule so you can follow along with us. I just posted a brief video to tell you more about it, so have a look at Joniradio.org. God’s Word has something to say to you this year. So, watch my short video at Joniradio.org and join Ken and me as, together, we read through the Bible chronologically. And when you sign up, I’ll send you monthly updates to help you keep pace. And finally, pray with me, would you: “Father God, thank you for the story of Queen Esther and how you used a minor thing to avoid a major holocaust. It all resulted in the preservation of your people, as well as the birth of Jesus. And I praise you for all the small things that you arrange in my life. In your name, Amen.” Hey, thanks for listening and join me later at Joniradio.org.
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