MARCH 8

Esther 2: 5-7

WHO ARE ESTHER AND MORDECAI?

Today the story shifts our focus to the introduction of Esther and Mordecai. Both of them will be used mightily by God in the history of Israel,and of the world. ey don’t know it yet,but God was already working out His perfect plan in and through their lives. So who exactly are Esther and Mordecai?

Mordecai was a Jew who worked in the palace of Shushan. His great-grandfather, Kish, was carried away from Jerusalem by king Nebuchadnezzar, when the Babylonians ruled the empire about 100 years ago. Although he was brought up in a foreign land, Mordecai never forgot his Jewish roots. Mordecai’s uncle had a daughter, whose name was Hadassah, or Esther. When Esther was very young, her parents died. us, Mordecai looked after Esther and treated her as his own daughter. Both of them shared a very close relationship. Mordecai was like a father to Esther, and Esther was obedient to him. Esther was a beautiful woman who met all the criteria to be the next queen. Later, she would be picked by the king’s officials and have no choice but to follow them to the palace.

What can we learn from this short introduction of Mordecai and Esther? Both were Jews of the captivity, and not in any high position. Esther was an orphan, weak and helpless if not for Mordecai who looked after her. Esther and Mordecai were weak and sinful people like us, but God used them in a mighty way to save the Jews from being wiped out from the face of the earth.

Dear reader, God chooses the small and weak to serve Him in big ways that will have a lasting impact, regardless of what their status in life is. Your lack of strength is the means for God to manifest His perfect strength in your life. The important thing is to rely on the strength of God, and not on our own. Sometimes it is easy to forget. We are told to work hard in our studies, to try our best and often we forget to seek God’s help. Dear child, start and end the day with God. Pray He will guide you and that way, it is easier to remember to rely on Him and not on ourselves.

Thought: Like Esther and Mordecai, you may not know but God is already working in your life.
Prayer: Father in Heaven, I am weak, but You are strong. You alone are my strength and shield. I pray that Your strength will be made perfect in my weakness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.