Cast a Lot Catch A Purim

Have you ever noticed the book of Esther doesn’t mention God? Of course He’s in the underlining story or it wouldn’t be in the Bible, but God himself is not talked about directly. It’s like He’s hidden.

Guess what Esther means in Hebrew, “hidden.”

Let me start this jewel by giving you the “Gena translation” of the book of Esther.

Esther is a Jewish girl raised by her uncle Mordecai. She is seriously beautiful. The king at the time is Xerxes and his wife, the also beautiful queen, is Vashti.

Now Xerxes is having a huge party with his boys and after a few days of partying he tells one of his servants to go get Vashti.
He wants to parade her in front of the guys so they can all see how beautiful she is and wish they were married to her.
Well Vashti is having a party of her own with the girls and when the servant shows up to bring her before the king she’s like no way. She has no intentions of parading in front of a bunch of drunk guys. As you can imagine the King is not happy that he’s been dissed in front of his friends so he asks his “advisers” what he should do.
They tell him he better replace her quick because if the rest of the wives hear about this they might start dissing their men and the whole kingdom will be in an uproar.
They also come up with this great idea to find all the beautiful virgins in the kingdom and let him pick a new bride.

In comes Esther. Her uncle tells her not to let her new husband know that she is Jewish.

Mordecai use to visit with Esther in the courtyard and they would keep each other updated on what was going on. One day Mordecai overheard a couple of the kings officers planning to kill the king so he told Esther who in turn told the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
The officers were hanged and the whole issue was recorded in the official books in the presence of the king.

Now in order for any story to be juicy we need a villain. As luck would have it, we have one. His name is Haman.
Haman is your typical egomaniac and to make matters worse he’s the king’s top advisor!
He was so stuck on himself that he passed a law that everyone had to bow down to him. Mordecai refused because the only one a Jew was permitted to bow before was God. This ticked Haman off so bad that he decreed that all Jews would be killed on a certain day that of course he would pick.
Haman was very superstitious so he drew lots to find out which day to carry out his plan.
Now interesting enough the word for “lots” in Persian is purim.
It was decided that the plan would begin the month of Adar, which was the same month that Moses died. Haman figured that was a good omen, he would wipe out the Jews the same day a famous Jew died. Kind of an in your face thing.
What Haman didn’t know was in Jewish tradition great men die on their birthdays because their lives are complete. Moses was born and died in Adar so this was not a time of misfortune for the Jews but a month they considered blessed.
Back to our story. Haman tells the king there's a group of people scattered among your kingdom whose customs are different from ours and they don’t obey the kings laws and it would be in his best interest not to tolerate them.
He tells the king of his great plan to destroy them. The king figures it’s a good idea and uses his signet ring to seal the orders and make sure there carried out to the various provinces to annihilate all the Jews and to take all their goods.

When Mordecai found out what had been done he of course freaks out and the bible says he is wailing loudly and bitterly. In every province there was great mourning among the Jews when they were told what was going to happen.
Esther sends one of her servants to ask Mordecai what’s up. Why is he so upset? Mordecai tells him the whole story and sends her a copy of the edict for their annihilation which was published. He tells her to go talk to the king and beg for mercy for her people.

Now you have to understand, in those days if the king didn’t invite you and you showed up and he wasn’t in the mood to talk to you, you would be killed. Esther lets her uncle know it’s been over a month since the King asked for her.
When the servant told Mordecai what Esther said he sent back this answer?
“Do not think that because you are in the King’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to a royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

He was letting her know God’s plan would be carried out with or without her help but if she chose not to help she was still going down.

I want to move away from our story for a minute. Sometimes we may not “see” God in our circumstances but that doesn’t mean he’s not behind the scenes doing His thing. We may be right where we are supposed to be when God needed a person in a strategic place to work out His will. However, if we do not do what is asked when we know we are the one called, He will replace us.

Esther let’s Mordecai know that she will do her part and asks that all the Jews in Susa would fast and pray for her for 3 days and nights.

When you have a huge job before you I can’t imagine doing it without serious prayer and or fasting. Not just you praying but making sure you have prayer warriors praying with you.
Esther let’s them know she will go before the king and if she dies, she dies.

In our lives God asks us to do things that at worse might hurt our feelings and possibly our pride but I don’t know many people that are doing what God asks with the possibility of death.

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood before the king and her God behind the scenes was standing with her.

The king allowed her to come to him and he asked what she needed, he even offered to give her up to half the kingdom. Talk about God’s favor.  As part of  Esther’s strategy to reveal Haman's evil plan she invites the King and Haman to a party she’s throwing and they both agree to come.
Now remember Haman is a total ego maniac so you can only imagine how big his head is right now that HE was singled out as an honored guest from the queen.
At the party the King asks Esther again what she wants and she says come back tomorrow night for another party with Haman and I’ll tell ya then. So Haman leaves thinking he’s all that but he runs into Mordecai at the gate and as always Mordecai didn’t even stand up when he sees him and to really tick him off he’s not even showing any fear!

Haman blows him off for now because he wants to tell his family and friends all about his night and how he was the only one Esther invited to the parties. He tells his family about everything but then he says “but all this still doesn’t satisfy me as long as I see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”
Esther 5:13

Isn’t it amazing when we become obsessed with something, we just can’t let it go. It torments our minds and no matter what else is going on we can’t totally enjoy it because we are hanging onto something destructive, anger and rage.

His wife, trying to be helpful, tells Haman to build a huge gallows 75 feet high and have Mordecai hanged on it before you go have dinner with the King and Queen Esther.

Women can be brutal! Go hang a man before dinner and then eat and enjoy yourself. The really sick part is this delighted Haman and he had the gallows built.

Well once again our God from behind the scenes is at work.

That night the king can’t sleep so he ordered the book of chronicles be brought and read to him.
Get a good legal book to put you right to sleep.
He’s reminded of what Mordecai had done for him, letting him know about the planned assassination. He asks his officers if he ever did anything to repay him and they say no.
Now here comes the best part. The King asks if there’s any one in the courtyard and they say yes Haman. Of course Haman's there to ask if he can hang Mordecai!
Before Haman can speak the kings ask him “what should be done for the man he delights to honor?” Haman of course thinks the king's talking about him, remember ego maniac, so he tells the king all these great things that should be done, ya know royal robe, beautiful horse, parade him around town and let everyone know how great he is.
The king says great idea! Go ahead and do all those things for Mordecai. I’ll even let you be the one to parade him around!

Talk about a plan gone wrong....

After doing all this Haman still has to go to the banquet Esther invited him to. This is where it gets really ugly because now when the king asks Esther what she wants, remember up to half the kingdom so he really likes her, she tells the king that she and all her people are scheduled to be annihilated in a few days. The king asks, “who is the man who dares do such a thing?”
Guess who?

As you can imagine things did not get any better for Haman.
You can read the story for all the details but the gist of it is because the king signed the first ruling he could not go back on it. He made a new ruling telling the Jews they could fight back. They did and of course won not only their lives but the plunder as well. As for Haman he was hung on the very gallows he made for Mordecai not only him but his family as well.

Sometimes even if God is not mentioned directly you can see His hand all through a story. In the Bible and in our lives as well. It may appear He’s hidden at times but He is always in control.

Jews have events to celebrate things God did for them and they want remembered by future generations. The feast of Purim will be celebrated the second week in March.

Purim commemorates the victory of the righteous over the wicked. God did not use any supernatural events to save His people in this story. No floods or plagues, like I said His name doesn’t even appear in the story. It was the coincidences of the story beyond all statistical probability and even possibility that makes you know it was directed by God. Purim is a record of “hidden miracles”.

When a lottery is drawn, the chosen name seems to be an accident, but the result is divinely predestined. It may seem they were all coincidences but I know there is no such thing. These things happen all the time we just don’t take notice of them. A coincidence is nothing more than God’s way of choosing to remain anonymous.
Purim is a fest where wine freely flows because that is when the king decided to get rid of his wife making way for Esther. It was also a party with lots of wine that Esther revealed she was a Jewess to her husband.
Every year on the anniversary of Haman's death the Jews read the story twice both on Purim night and morning. Every time Haman’s name is mentioned, which is quite a bit, the entire congregation is expected to boo, make a noise and try to wipe out the memory of this villain. The thought behind this ritual is a powerful way to teach Jews from childhood that they should never remain silent in the face of those who want to destroy them. In addition, it is customary to send out gifts of food or drink, and to make gifts to charity. There is also a small fast done before the celebration to signify the fast Esther arranged.

I’m sharing this with you because I believe the Jewish culture is wise in remembering feast and special Holy days. It is a constant reminder to their families of how great our God is, the God we serve.
I think if we remembered more of His miracles we wouldn’t get so freaked out when life took a bad turn on us because we would know how God is able to take care of His children whether behind the scenes or in your face.
Gems we don't know when God will call us for a situation He needs a warrior.

I hope you enjoyed the story of Esther and I think it would be OK, Jewish or not,  to join in on the celebration!

Shut Up Before You Speak

I want to share a valuable lesson with you the Lord taught me about keeping quiet. I'm sure you can already tell it had to be God as I love to blab.
I was going through what I call my “faith building time” and I made the mistake of “sharing” what was going on with those around me. I didn't realize at the time that was not a good idea as I was still deciphering what God was saying. A couple of problems can arise when we share too soon. Sometimes we get things wrong because we are thinking and hearing in the natural and not the spiritual another is it might not be the right timing. God can be giving you a word for what is to come and not necessarily right now. This can cause confusion and do more harm than good to the people your sharing with. The thing to remember is this growing time is meant for you and the Lord alone, unless he tells you otherwise, making it part of your personal relationship and journey.
For example, I knew the Lord was preparing me to move and he brought up Johnson City TN on many occasions. As soon as He mentioned moving I got boxes, started packing and put my house up for sale. I also shared my moving news with anyone that would listen. Big mistake because guess what I still have not moved to Johnson City TN. And that word was given years ago. However, I did go to Johnson City Tn a few times and God did great things on each trip. I'll save those stories for another jewel.
I did eventually move but not when or where I thought I heard.
Because I was in the testimony building part the people around me thought I was nuts and I'm sure they felt it was confirmed when I didn't move to Johnson City. I knew I heard from the Lord I even had people speak into my life confirming what the Lord said. Two women I trust and admire even gave me confirmation about Johnson City TN. I went back to the Lord later and asked Him why He felt it necessary to make me look like a lunatic. I told Him I knew he said Johnson City and He said “I said you would go there and you did 3 times. I said you would go to TN and you did 5 times.” I heard part of what God said right and I should have waited to share the rest.
I remember feeling really frustrated because people were not reacting the way I thought they should or with the encouragement I needed (again not their fault.) It was making me second guess myself and to be honest my sanity. I prayed to God to send me someone to talk to that would understand, someone who had a testimony to what I was going through. God as always answered my prayer and sent an awesome man of God named Ron Allen. I knew he loved the Lord and the fruit of his ministry was proof he heard from God. He came to the church I was attending at the time for a conference and agreed to meet with me. I told him what was happening and he shared with me (gena translation) the keep your mouth shut rule. Of course he didn't use those words, he's way too kind but that was the gist of it. He told me things that happened in his walk and how he later realized he was not supposed to share all God was showing him at that time. It really encouraged me and helped me get a positive perspective on things and confirmed, at this time I was not crazy. If I haven't already told you, thank you Pastor Allen :)
There are many stories in the New Testament of Jesus telling people not to share what He was doing in their life.
Mark 9: the disciples are with Jesus and they see him in a cloud with Elijah and Moses the next thing you know Jesus is there alone and it freaks them out. The Lord tells them not to tell anyone what they have seen. In V43 it says “he gave them strict orders not to let anyone know about this.”
Matthew 9: two blind men are healed by Jesus and He tells them not to tell anyone about it.
Luke 5: Jesus healed the leper v14 then Jesus ordered don't tell anyone.
Why did Jesus tell them not to tell anyone what was happening in their life? Why bother doing a miracle if your not going to show off? Two reasons I think. One it was to build that persons faith so they would have a strong testimony and two it wasn't the right time for what would bring God the most glory. I think it's the same reason today. God wants you to speak when it will bring Him the most glory.
You may be in a place in your journey that God is showing you amazing things and speaking promises to you about your future and it may be confusing because circumstances at the moment are not lining up with His word. You may be sharing everything you receive with others and because it has not come to fruition the naysayers are starting to get into your heard. I want to encourage you with another story in the Bible.
Mark 5: There is story about a synagogue ruler named Jairus (He even mentions his name) he fell at Jesus feet and told him his daughter was dying and he asks Jesus to come to his house and heal her. Jesus agrees and goes with Jairus. You have to understand there was a large crowd following Jesus and he was healing other people along the way so he didn't go directly to Jairus home. I don't know how long a time it was from the time he asked til the time He got there but it was God's timing. You too may be asking God for something and He agreed , you still have to wait for Him to get there.
Before Jesus got to his house some men from his hometown came and found Jairus to tell him “your daughter is dead don't bother the teacher any more.”
I love this next part v36 “Ignoring what they said Jesus told the synagogue ruler (Jairus) “Don't be afraid just believe.”
Jesus did go to his house and he did heal his daughter.
Sometimes you just have to ignore people and what they are saying and just believe what God told you. It helps if you don't give them anything to say, hence the shut up part.
The thing is, until we walk out what we are going through we are in the testimony building phase. When we are on the other side of the story we give hope to those who will walk a similar journey, like Ron Allen did in my life.
I'm not saying you shouldn't have anyone to talk to the word says we should seek wise counsel but ask the Lord who that person is.
Notice in Matthew 17:5
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
Just because the disciples were told not to tell anyone didn't mean God wasn't speaking and most of all He was well pleased with his son. He is telling you today just like He told the disciples long ago “listen to Him!”
My prayer for you today:
My child (your name here) I am speaking to you and I do have a plan and a purpose for you. I am pleased with your obedience and I do make plans that you will succeed in. I pray you understand there are times I say don't tell anyone what you have seen or heard for your benefit and my glory. Don't be afraid, just believe and listen to what my son tells you.
Amen

False Sense of Security

I have one of those chains on my apartment door that makes me feel safer when I use both the dead bolt and the chain lock. I'm always reminding my daughter that when I'm not home to make sure she puts the chain on. The problem is one day I came home and forgot about the chain and just pushed the door open, no real effort and the chain broke. I freaked that I broke the chain. I didn't sleep well that night because the chain was broke. I had the maintenance man come and fix it the very next day. 
Side note. I can't tell you how much I love living in an apartment and when something breaks all you do is call the maintenance man and he comes and fixes it, right away, even if your not home!!! Then he leaves a card hanging on your door telling his name and that he fixed your problem. Are you kidding me, it's like I have my own honey do list guy.
OK back to my story. I get the chain fixed and about a week later my son and grandsons 4 & 7 come over for the weekend.  I once again apply my chain lock when we go to bed. The next morning we were going to the park and in my 7 year old grandsons excitement he unlocked the bolt and yanked the door open and guess what my 2nd chain went flying across the room.  My first thought was what will my maintenance man think!
What I want you to see here is I had a false sense of security in a chain to keep me safe that can be broke in half by a 7 year old.
It's like in the summer we lock our screen door and have the wood door open. How hard would it be to rip a screen. We live in Florida, one good wind and it's gone.
I started thinking about other things we use to give us a false sense of security like a relationship or money in the bank. A good job or having health insurance. I'm not saying that any of these things are wrong unless we are putting our security and faith in them.
I know people who have been at a job they hate for years because they think they won't survive without it. They fear not being able to get another job or not getting the amount of money they will need to make it. They are literally missing out on so much joy and freedom because they are not trusting God. I know I have used this scripture before but I will always go back to it.
Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
When I was going through my last "Faith building" experience I was out of work and as you know lost my investment property and my home and was literally getting my meals from a restaurant that gave me left overs. I can't tell you how many times I cried out to God freaking out and for months all He said was "either I'm God or I'm not." I'll be honest sometimes I would yell back “stop saying that!!!” But the truth is that was the only answer that summed it all up.  God was and is faithful and going through that experience has allowed me the freedom to venture into other uncharted areas because I know whenever the enemy tries to scare me I just respond "either He's God or He's not and guess what He is!"
We are getting closer to the last days and I believe God is calling each one of us to new ground that will take faith and courage and relying on your earthly stuff is not going to be an acceptable answer for why your not doing what God tells you.
I am co-leading a ladies Bible study by Joyce Meyer called Do it afraid.  She talks about being at the beginning of a journey, in the middle or at the end.  The example she gives was when the disciples were in the boat and the storm rose and the boat was getting tossed all around, the disciples are freaking out and Jesus is asleep!  He told them when they left they were going to the other side. Just because there was a storm didn't change His plan.
You may have just started a journey or you may be in the middle of it, you may even be in a storm but your still going to the other side of whatever God has called you to.
Joyce also talks about when Noah built the ark there were 2 things missing a rudder and a sail. That ark was going where God wanted it to with no help from Noah.
What I'm saying here is putting that chain on the door was not going to keep anyone out of my apartment not even a 7 year old boy. I had a false sense of security in an object that couldn't possibly do the job I needed it to.
You have a plan and a purpose and a life God died to give you and your not living it because you have a chain lock on you that satan put on your door.  Guess what  he too has a false sense of security because once you decide your breaking out you will and it will only take the strength of a 7 year old.
We can't possibly share the message of God cowering in fear and uncertainty.  Either He's God or He's not. I am beginning a new journey with the Lord and I can't even imagine where we are going next but I do know He is my true sense of security. Let Him be yours too.

P.S. I felt like I should add to the jewel that I LOVE living in Tampa and have totally enjoyed all the people I have met and the ones I have been able to minister to and who have ministered to me. I would never have moved on my own as I was content with where I was. But God wanted more than just content.... I would not change a thing :)