Tuesday, May 5, 2009

If I Die, I Die

"When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish" Esther 4:16b

This is sold out trust and belief in God! These were the words Esther stated when she realized God was calling her to be the instrument to deliver the Jews from annihilation in the Book of Esther. She looked at the worst case scenerio and stated resolve with that outcome because it was the will of God. When we realize a task God is requesting of us I am sure we can rattle off a number of excuses as to why we are unworthy to complete the task.

Fear is a powerful deterrent whether the fear is of public speaking, abandonment, a death or a fear of trusting God. "Our fears are often counterfeit guilt trips the devil uses to keep us from fully trusting God. If you are afraid God's will is the worst thing you could imagine, follow that thought to its source. It isn't from God. His plan for you is good, as He states in Jeremiah 29:11: 'For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' (Virelle Kidder, Meet Me At The Well, p.69.) Esther didn't base her decision of trust on what outcome was most likely but on the One whom she could trust with her life.

Our fear of tomorrow and futile attempts of determining the future highlights our lack of faith in a God who brings all of our days under His authority. If we believe that God will provide in every trial no matter how long the crucible or what He is calling us for then we access the peace and comfort afforded to us all who wait on Him. We will not hand over the keys to chaos but know that Christ is our key to peace.

We can all insert something to match Esther's last sentence. Having stared into the face of losing the life of one of my children, I will never forget that constant and true threat of suffering that loss. Drug addiction and homelessness makes you face daily this inevitability. I experienced the threat up to the point of the confirmed phone call (which by the grace of God I never received). For me, that last line would read "So, if Kristen loses her sobriety, she loses her sobriety which could lead to her death." I am basically telling God that if I have to look into the worst situation, I am resolved with that because I am resolved in Him.

Hopefully, we will never have to face our worst fears but if we do, God will be there to catch us, heal us and prosper us.

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