Category: Devotionals

Esther 4:14 “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another pace; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Esther was the queen of King Ahasuerus at a time when the Jews were in captivity in a foreign land. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, had learned of an evil plan to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom, and he asked Esther to petition the king to spare the Jews. Esther initially refused because the king had not summoned her, and if anyone approached the king without being asked, they could be killed for their boldness. Mordecai tells Esther that the Jews will be saved with or without her, but it could be that God had placed her in this place for this very reason… to ask the king for mercy on behalf of the Jews. Esther finally agrees to go to King Ahasuerus; the king consents to hear her, and the Jews are eventually saved.

Taking a stand is never easy, and taking a stand for God can be very challenging these days. We are living in perilous times as described in 2 Timothy 3, and standing up for what the Bible states is right can be very difficult. It’s easy to do so in a church where everyone is like-minded, but what about in the world where Christians are constantly ridiculed and hated? My life is not on the line like Esther’s was when she approached Ahauserus. It is not in peril like the lives of modern-day Christians who live in countries where sharing the gospel can result in torture, imprisonment, or even death. Sometimes I wonder if my stand for God is really that important? Absolutely!

When I hand out a gospel tract to the grocery clerk, I am making a stand for Christ! When I invite a neighbor’s child to Sunday school or VBS, I am making a stand for Jesus! When I bow my head in a restaurant to pray over my meal, I am making a stand for my Lord and Saviour! There are lots of ways to stand up for Jesus, and each one is important to the cause of Christ no matter how minor they may seem.

So, after a lot of prayer, meditation upon God’s Word, and advice from my family, I have decided to start writing a blog about what the Lord is teaching me as I grow in my Christian faith. It is time for me to stop asking, “Why me?” and instead ask, “Why not me?” It’s a small stand for God, but I am reminded that God can do plenty with just a little. Just ask the young boy who only had a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish in his lunch.

And who knows? Maybe I am here for such a time as this.

2 Thessalonians 3:5 “And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.”

Before I share what God revealed to me today, I must confess that I made two assumptions about this verse. (I think it makes God chuckle when I go into a Bible study with assumptions!) I assumed the verse was about salvation and the return of Christ. Hmm… I am saved, so I sort of skipped over the first part (mistake number one), and then I thought… ‘Yes, I am waiting patiently for the return of Christ. I have no great anxieties about when it will happen, so yes, I am waiting patiently for Jesus’ return. I guess that’s all for me today’ (mistake number two).

That’s when the Holy Spirit took over. He opened my eyes to what this verse in God’s living Word means for me. What a difference it makes when He illuminates a verse, and how foolish of me to make such trivial assumptions about God’s Word! Originally when I read this verse, the word “patient” really jumped out at me. I could easily say I was waiting for Jesus, but was I waiting patiently? And did this verse mean more than waiting for Jesus’s return? Maybe the deeper query for me should be “Was I waiting patiently for Jesus in all things?” Was I waiting patiently for Him to answer my prayers? Was I waiting patiently for Him to act? Was I waiting patiently for Him to lead? Nope! I am not a patient person; I want today’s prayers answered yesterday! So how does God teach an impatient person to be patient? The answer is in the first part of this verse. He directs their heart into His love.

The more I study His Word, the more I learn of God’s love. The more I understand of His incredible love, the more I realize that His love is the reason why He waits to answer prayers. His waiting is a manifestation of the love He has for me and for everyone else in this world! He only answers when it is in my best interest OR the best interest of the one for whom I am praying, and He always aligns His responses with His perfect will! That’s love! Once I understand this, I am empowered by His Holy Spirit to wait patiently for His answers to my prayers!

What about the return of Christ? Does this verse also refer to that? I think it does, but why do I need to wait patiently for Jesus’ return? Shouldn’t I be eager for that? Of course I can’t wait to be with Jesus, but that’s a very self-centered point of view. I wait patiently for Christ’s return because God the Father waits patiently to send his Son. God loves each person on this earth so much that He wants to give everyone every possible opportunity to trust Christ as Saviour before Jesus returns. That’s truly a good reason for me to wait patiently for the return of the Lord!

In the meantime, I still have a lot of work to do for Him before He comes back again!