A recent encounter brought two Scriptures to mind.
The Lord Almighty has sworn, “Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen.” –Isaiah 14:24 (NIV)
God directs our steps and can use everything in our lives to further His purposes!
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.” –Esther 4:13-16 (NLT)
King Xerxes chose Esther, who hid her Jewish ancestry, to be queen of Persia because of her exceptional beauty. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle who looked after her, overheard an assassination plot to kill the king, which Esther relayed to him. Haman, a chief advisor to the king, was distraught when Mordecai would not bow down to him. He found out Mordecai was a Jew and plotted to exterminate the Jews.
Mordecai encouraged Esther to inform King Xerxes about Haman’s plot, claiming that it could be the reason she is queen at this time. Esther knew that in order to talk to the king, one needed an invitation; otherwise, you would face death if the king did not extend his scepter. She was willing to die while trying to save the Jews. Queen Esther did talk to the king without an invitation, and he did extend his scepter. As a result, King Xerxes had Haman executed, and the Jews were saved. Queen Esther fulfilled God’s plan by being in the right place at the right time, and sparing the lives of the Jews as well as her own.
Photo courtesy of Chronic Joy® under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC 2.0)
After attending a church service, I went to give a copy of my latest book, God’s Compassion Illuminated, to the pastor. I then had to walk back through the church to leave when I ran into a dear friend having a spirit-filled, encouraging conversation for a few minutes. As I went to go out the last door, I saw a lady I knew in passing, but not personally. She had inadvertently gone out of the church at the opposite exit from where her car was, so she was making her way back around. That is the point at which I ran into her. Upon seeing me, she paused for a minute and then asked if I would keep in prayer an intention that was heavy on her heart, stating she felt I was a prayerful person. I said, “Certainly!” She was able to share about the situation, and outside of my comfort zone once again, I felt led to pray with her right then too. At the end, we embraced.
I was in awe as I reflected on how perfectly ordered both of our steps were that day, with the sequence of each event in our lives that led us to cross paths that day. I also thought about the only reason we knew each other. It was back in September 2019 when I felt I was called to volunteer at a local ministry house. They assist single parents to complete their education while providing free daycare in an environment that nurtures both the child and the parent. She was the contact person for this wonderful organization. I pursued this ministry for a bit, but it became apparent that it was not part of God’s plan for me at the time.
Because I met her at the ministry house, I then recognized her at church. At one point, I mentioned I had published two books at the time, and one day she asked about buying one. A month later, she asked for the other one, and she couldn’t wait to tell me she read it in a day and a half because she couldn’t put it down. That day at church, with God’s perfect orchestration of events in our lives, I was able to present her with my third book.
It occurred to me that if I had not pursued that ministry opportunity, though it wasn’t right for me at the time, I would not have known this lady. I would not have the privilege, let alone the gift, of joining in prayer for her intention. I believe it was all part of God’s plan for me to meet her back in 2019 and now be able to stand in prayer with her.
Photo courtesy of Brian Hancock under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Walk in faith, knowing God works things out for us in our lives, especially when we give up control of how we think things should be. God makes beautiful things happen as we surrender more and more.
Be encouraged this week as you see how God…
…directs your steps.
…presents opportunities for trusting in His timing.
…is accomplishing His purpose through you.
…is asking you to give up control.
…makes beauty out of your surrender.
…works good out of something that didn’t work out like you expected.
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. –Romans 8:28 (NLT)
