This is another women that is in the middle of a battlefield for her marriage and much like the previous post her family is also on the front lines! She is absolutely walking out the verse in 1 Corinthians that says, Love bears all things. When you read this devotional think of it like Daniel writing a devotional when he was in the pit with the Lions or David sitting down to write a devotional just before he threw his first stone at Goliath. We know now that God had the last word in their situations but  it didn’t always look that way. I look forward to hearing the testimony of this family! It’s going to be a good one!!!
A Heart That Can Handle a Throne
Part I
When you think of Esther, do you imagine how great her life was? Kind of like a Cinderella story of “rags to riches” where she was chosen from thousands of women to live in the lap of luxury? Think again.
Hadassah, her Jewish name, means myrtle tree. It was a symbol of victory.
What a humiliating name to have if you find yourself in a situation the exact opposite of victorious.
She was living in devastation:
Orphaned. Didn’t know her mom. Never met her dad.
A very young teenager.
Deported and living a foreign country.
A 3rd generation exile–she had never seen her homeland.
Hated and by the people surrounding her because of her race.
Limited in her expression of worship because they had no temple.
Not to mention she was a woman.
She had already experienced so much loss and heartache at such an early age. And yet it was the very empire that caused her life’s deepest sorrows that later became her launching pad to victory.  Think about that. What has been the source of your life’s deepest sorrows?
If you’re reading this blog, you may have some of the same sorrows as me: a broken marriage, rejection, abandonment, despair, helplessness, just to name a few. If you are in the same fight that I’m in, for a loving and healthy marriage, then read on.  God will use the hardships in our marriages—even the most impossible situations—to bring our lives to a place of overwhelming victory! Genesis 50:20 says, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good.” I love that God never harms, and that He can take things that were meant to destroy us and instead turn them into something that actually benefits us. But how do we cling to his promise of victory while walking through a season of darkness. Esther had a few insights.
On the night when she was called, she had one shot to make an impression on the king. If he didn’t remember her name the next day, she would never see him again and would live out the rest of her days in the harem. When it was her turn, she listened to Hegai, the Eunich in charge. He knew the king, his preferences, his moods, and the way he thought, better than anyone else. He gave her all the tools she needed to succeed. He told her what to wear. He told her what perfume to put on. He instructed her on how to approach the king. Even as beautiful as she was, without Hegai, Esther would not have succeeded.
The other day I was praying for my husband in the area of finances. I don’t know how to approach my husband without making him angry. No matter how I say things, it always ends up in a fight. As I was praying, the Holy Spirit dropped a precious truth into my heart. He said, “I AM your Hegai.” The Holy Spirit knows my husband better than I do. He knows your spouse better than you do! He will coach you through each conversation. He knows your spouse’s moods, thoughts, and even how he needs to be approached at a particular point in time. He has a vast array of “tools” just like Hegai did, and he will pick out the tools for you to use at the right time. Sometimes the tool may be keeping quiet. Sometimes it’s praise. Sometimes prayer. Sometimes kindness. Sometimes a truthful word spoken in gentleness. Don’t worry!!! You don’t have to have your spouse figured out—your Hegai already does! John 16:13 says, “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Let’s lean in and listen to the Holy Spirit. Our marriages depend on it!
I pray this post encourages you today!