Carri Lynne Pratt
"On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders
to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were
read before the king. And it was found written how Mordecai had
(saved the king) . . . And the king said, "What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" Esther 6:1-3
We see great irony in this passage. Haman is on his way to the king to ask him to murder Mordecai. However, God has already gone before him and set the stage to protect Mordecai and allow Haman to fall into the pit he had dug. We read that the king could not sleep and through his servants reading to him, basically his diary, he was reminded of the great deed that Mordecai had done for him.
This reminds us that "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
As you read this week's passage, keep in mind:
God is always in control. Might it have been God that kept sleep from
King Ahasuerus? After all, was it simply by chance that the king was reminded of Mordecai's good deed moments before Haman was going to come in and ask for his death sentence?
God will use various circumstances to help His people
Consider the similarity to the story of Joseph and remember his famous quote,
"What man meant for evil, God used for good." Genesis 50:20
When has God intervened on your behalf? What bad circumstance has God taken from your life and turned around for good?
Spiritual Discipline for this week: Meditation
Here are the steps to Meditating on a verse of Scripture:
1. Start by asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom
2. Read the verse & Be still in God's presence Listen for His prompting
3. Consider what it is saying in context. In other words, read the verses before and after it to see what is going on in the text.
4. Ponder the verse over time (a day or even a week)
5. Ask, How does this apply to my life? What can I take away and do differently in my life?
Practice Meditating on the following verse:
"Finally, (Sisters), whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8
Save the Date!!!
Purim March 1, 2018
We will be celebrating the Jewish Holiday of Purim,
which celebrates Queen Esther,
by posting the full movie of Esther
as well as the full reading of the book of Esther.
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