As believers, many of us have gotten very caught up in what is happening in the world today. We must never forget that Jesus Christ has called us to come out of the world and to cling to the things of God. We have received a holy calling from our Heavenly Father, and our mission in life is to follow the example of Jesus Christ. 1Peter 2:21(NIV) tells us, “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” We shouldn’t be surprised by the corruption happening in the institutions and systems that society counts on, but many people are caught off guard by all this. It seems they are losing their way and have forgotten that God’s goodness isn’t dependent on the world’s systems. Nothing that is happening is new to Him and following Him will keep us continually in His arms of safety.
Proverbs 18:10 (NIV) says, “The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Our Great God is Jehovah. He is our salvation and refuge. He’s our strong tower that can never be toppled, corrupted, or destroyed. He is the God of life, and no one can pluck us out of His hands. This is tremendous comfort, especially when we look at the world today. It is very tempting for some believers to join in with the chorus of the world and become fearful of everything, but God will make a way for us just as He did for His people living in Old Testament times.
Nothing can stop the Will of God from moving forth. He has a plan for the entire universe, and things are happening just as He said they would. In our arrogance, we’d like to think that our personal agendas come first, and that our wants and needs should be the most important details of our existences. Life will teach us very quickly that this isn’t so. God designed everything in the universe to cooperate with His plan. When we attempt to march to the beat of our own drum, things fall apart very quickly because moving in God’s love is the only harmony life enjoys. Stepping outside this harmony causes us to move in darkness, and this is what caused so much trouble for God’s people living in Old Testament times. It is a tremendous lesson for those of us living today, because they wanted all God’s goodies but wouldn’t remain committed to His Word as He instructed them to do. Despite their refusal to submit to Him, Heavenly Father saved them from disaster repeatedly. The Book of Esther gives us one such account.
In Esther 3, Haman, a servant of Xerxes, the king, is promoted to the highest position in the king’s empire. Haman is a seed boy of satan and comes from a long lineage of idolaters. He craved worship and adoration, and he was aghast that Mordecai, Queen Esther’s uncle, would not bow in his presence. It is very important to note the trademarks of darkness in Haman, because they are very pervasive in our current times. Many people crave worship, are hungry for more and more power and wealth, and their most prominent character trait is arrogance. We must be very cautious with people like this and make sure that we do not conform ourselves to their image.
Esther had replaced Vashti, the prior queen who was excommunicated because she disobeyed Xerxes’ request and brought shame to his empire. A beauty pageant was held, and Esther won, but she kept her nationality a secret. She was Jewish, like her uncle, Mordecai, who had raised her and instructed her to keep quiet about her identity.
Mordecai, a faithful uncle, would go to the palace and remain outside its gates to keep watch on Esther clandestinely. It was there that Haman came face to face with Modecai’s allegiance to God. Mordecai risked death by defying the customs of obeisance to Haman, a representative of Xerxes’ empire. Filled with evil and rage that Mordecai wouldn’t bow before him, Haman went to Xerxes with an insidiously evil plan. He would not be satisfied with just Mordecai’s death, but asked the king to sign off on a decree that all Jewish people living during that time would be put to death.
God had a plan of escape for His people, and through Queen Esther, the people were saved from satan’s attempt to annihilate them. Not only was Haman’s plan spoiled, but the very same weapon he planned to use for Mordecai’s murder was used for his own execution. God moved mightily and did so through people, relationships, and situations that no one could have imagined. Nothing is too hard for God. Isaiah 45:15(NLT) says, “Truly, O God of Israel, our Savior, you work in mysterious ways.” None of us knows how He does it, but He is the only One that can make something from absolutely nothing. He expands the universe and makes things come into being by His very Word.
Ephesians 1:4-5(NLT) tells us, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” We didn’t choose God first, He chose us! Our mission is to be lights in this dark world and to carry forth the Good News that through Jesus Christ we are saved! We don’t have time to involve ourselves in confusion, chaos, and darkness. We are to continually pray for the world, but we must never think that God isn’t aware of everything that is happening in it. He is. He wants everyone to turn to Him and accept the salvation He offers through Jesus Christ. We must not be sidelined by the world’s refusal to accept Him. We are God’s chosen people, and He will protect and care for us the same way He did for those living in Old Testament times. There’s nothing too hard for God, and we must keep our faith continually anchored in this truth. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“There’s Nothing Too Hard for God”, written by JMack, 4theChristianMan.com© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.