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daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
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Wednesday,
March
17,
2021
Several years ago we stopped by some friends to see their baby lambs, one set of triplets and one set of twins, born a few weeks earlier.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
"Mordecai"
Message
summary: God's timetable is so often
different than ours, and He proves His
faithfulness again and again over the long haul of
life.
Listen to this message on your audio player.
"During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king" (Esther 2:21-23).
Listen to this message on your audio player.
"During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king" (Esther 2:21-23).
Teach
us to know You, always among us,
Quietly sovereign, Lord of our now.
Quietly sovereign, Lord of our now.
This
afternoon we look forward to attending Sight and
Sound Theater here in Lancaster County and
watching one of their epic Bible-based live
dramatizations on Esther. We are formally
celebrating Ester's birthday (March 9th) by taking
her and three of the Lapp family members with us
to see Esther. Afterwards we'll enjoy a birthday
dinner Anna Ruth and her "helpers" are preparing
at the Lapp household on the Old Windmill Farm,
with all of Ester's favorite dishes that Anna Ruth
has prepared in the past.This
last year has been difficult for so many
businesses including Sight and Sound but they have
persisted and prayerfully expect to see brighter
days ahead. At the present time they're only
allowed 1/4 capacity. It is one of our county's
premier tourist draws and has a ripple down effect
on lodging, restaurants and other tourist
attractions like the Old Windmill Farm.
In
fact, one of the motels Brooksyne serves as
chaplain is Comfort Inn in New Holland which has
really struggled since the COVID pandemic since
they usually host multiple tour busses that bring
Christian groups to Lancaster every week for the
distinct purpose of going to Sight and Sound. One
by one every tour bus has cancelled since
mid-March of 2020.
Perhaps
you have attended Sight and Sound presentation
either here in Lancaster or in Branson, MO in
recent years and seen Daniel, Ruth, The Beginning
or many other shows they have presented. Wonderful
as it is to read the accounts in Scripture, it
takes on new life when it is dramatized on stage.
So today, while we can't load up our car and take
you with us to Sight and Sound, we'll set the
stage right here on our Daily Encouragement site
and take you into the life of Esther who lived
2500 years ago.
There are only two books in the Bible named after a woman; Ruth and Esther. Ruth reminds us that God is at work in the lives of "ordinary people" while Esther reveals God at work among the "higher classes" (nobility).
Esther is a remarkable book and person. Most Bible students are aware of the fact that God's name is not specifically mentioned in the entire book (the only book of the Bible with this distinction), though His presence in the lives of those presented in the book is evident in their actions and attitudes and the causes they stand for.
Both Ruth and Esther remind us that God's work is often "behind the scenes". He is, as the beautiful hymn "God Of The Ages" states, "quietly sovereign". Whatever we are dealing with in life it's so vitally important to remember that God is still on the throne, that He is absolutely sovereign and He indeed rules over the affairs of humanity, both globally and personally.
There are two main characters in the book, Esther and Mordecai, and although Esther got "naming rights" both have essentially equal prominence. Today we will focus on Mordecai, tomorrow Esther.
The daily Scripture portion attests to what is surely one of the great mysteries of God's providence and sets the scene for a remarkable intervention by God later in the book. Mordecai had saved the king from an assassination attempt.
We wonder why Mordecai's act of loyalty was not immediately recognized by the King? After all, when Queen Esther reported the plot to the king, she specifically gave credit to Mordecai and it was recorded in his presence. But he forgot all about it! We wonder if this was discouraging to Mordecai. Other Biblical characters had similar experiences (Joseph comes to mind). And surely you and I have as well.
We try to figure it out and still it makes no sense. If we're not careful we can become embittered and even turn away from God or we can learn the importance of waiting for God's timing and rest in the assurance that He is "quietly sovereign". This requires the great character quality of patience. Delays can be an intense test of faith but also a great source of growth.
Many years later (according to my study, 8 years) a wicked man named Haman, who had gained great favor with the king, was determined to have Mordecai put to death and even prepared the gallows, intending to have him hung the following morning.
But that very night, at just the right time, the king was beset by a bad case of insomnia. Apparently sleeping pills were unavailable and he did something that seems very strange when one has a hard time sleeping. He called for the annals to be read (6:1) and this long forgotten incident set in motion a remarkable deliverance by the unseen Hand of God. God, after all, had not forgotten Mordecai or His people.
This same God is at work today. He hasn't changed at all in 2,500 years. We may at times wonder if God has forgotten all about us, or if He even cares. In a serious faith crisis some may even question His existence, not surprisingly given the dominant, sometimes crushing secularism that has an effect on all of us. But God's timetable is so often different than ours, and He proves His faithfulness again and again over the long haul of life. We can join the Psalmist with the joy-filled exclamation, "I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
There are only two books in the Bible named after a woman; Ruth and Esther. Ruth reminds us that God is at work in the lives of "ordinary people" while Esther reveals God at work among the "higher classes" (nobility).
Esther is a remarkable book and person. Most Bible students are aware of the fact that God's name is not specifically mentioned in the entire book (the only book of the Bible with this distinction), though His presence in the lives of those presented in the book is evident in their actions and attitudes and the causes they stand for.
Both Ruth and Esther remind us that God's work is often "behind the scenes". He is, as the beautiful hymn "God Of The Ages" states, "quietly sovereign". Whatever we are dealing with in life it's so vitally important to remember that God is still on the throne, that He is absolutely sovereign and He indeed rules over the affairs of humanity, both globally and personally.
There are two main characters in the book, Esther and Mordecai, and although Esther got "naming rights" both have essentially equal prominence. Today we will focus on Mordecai, tomorrow Esther.
The daily Scripture portion attests to what is surely one of the great mysteries of God's providence and sets the scene for a remarkable intervention by God later in the book. Mordecai had saved the king from an assassination attempt.
We wonder why Mordecai's act of loyalty was not immediately recognized by the King? After all, when Queen Esther reported the plot to the king, she specifically gave credit to Mordecai and it was recorded in his presence. But he forgot all about it! We wonder if this was discouraging to Mordecai. Other Biblical characters had similar experiences (Joseph comes to mind). And surely you and I have as well.
We try to figure it out and still it makes no sense. If we're not careful we can become embittered and even turn away from God or we can learn the importance of waiting for God's timing and rest in the assurance that He is "quietly sovereign". This requires the great character quality of patience. Delays can be an intense test of faith but also a great source of growth.
Many years later (according to my study, 8 years) a wicked man named Haman, who had gained great favor with the king, was determined to have Mordecai put to death and even prepared the gallows, intending to have him hung the following morning.
But that very night, at just the right time, the king was beset by a bad case of insomnia. Apparently sleeping pills were unavailable and he did something that seems very strange when one has a hard time sleeping. He called for the annals to be read (6:1) and this long forgotten incident set in motion a remarkable deliverance by the unseen Hand of God. God, after all, had not forgotten Mordecai or His people.
This same God is at work today. He hasn't changed at all in 2,500 years. We may at times wonder if God has forgotten all about us, or if He even cares. In a serious faith crisis some may even question His existence, not surprisingly given the dominant, sometimes crushing secularism that has an effect on all of us. But God's timetable is so often different than ours, and He proves His faithfulness again and again over the long haul of life. We can join the Psalmist with the joy-filled exclamation, "I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills His purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2).
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, You are the Giver of life and
our hope for the lost is found in You. All of the
earth shines with Your light and Your glory. You are
the God who lives, the God who heals, You are my
hope, my everything. You brought salvation to us and
You offer Your peace to the world. You are my Lord,
my everything. You are faithful as I cry out to You,
my God Most High, who fulfills Your purpose for me
in Your time and in Your way. Amen.Prayer
adapted from another song also titled "God of the
Ages"
Brooksyne's
Note: Four of the
Lapp family members have already seen Esther at
Sight and Sound and we were planning on joining
with two of them today (Moses and James) but I
called Sight and Sound this morning to see if we
could add another child attendee, Lizzie (last
minute, so to speak) which worked out just fine,
even got us better seating.
I
expected to talk to an employee from our local
Lancaster County Sight and Sound office but the
woman who took my call had a distinct Southern
drawl (much like I had at one time many, many
moons ago growing up in Tulsa.) I took a chance
and commented, "You sound like you might be from
Missouri". And, in fact, she said she lives in
Branson and works with Sight and Sound from that
location! It turned into a delightful call since
the folks from the South/Midwest are typically
very friendly and can easily turn a sales call
into a warm conversation.
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"God Of The Ages" Video This hymn, written in 1981 (contemporary to us!), has very rich lyrics and is set to a familiar tune but for whatever reason never seemed to be very popular at least in the circles we have been in.
"God
Of The Ages" Video Charles Billingsley Another
song with the same title.
Sight
and Sound Theater
"Our purpose is to present the Gospel of
Jesus Christ and sow the Word of God into
the lives of our customers, guests and
fellow workers by visualizing and
dramatizing the scriptures, through
inspirational productions, encouraging
others and seeking always to be dedicated
and wise stewards of our God-given talents
and resources."
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a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
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Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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