If you keep quiet at a time like this,
deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place,
but you and your relatives will die.
What’s more, who can say but that
you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?
Esther 4:14 NLT
___
A couple of months back, I saw a quote by Joyce Meyers that has stuck with me because I wasn’t sure where to “file it” in my brain. She said “If you ask God to give you a new dream, I believe he will.” I’m embarrassed to admit that I was so confused as to why I would ask for a new dream. A huge part of me lived with the deeply-rooted belief that dreams were something that you never gave up on. And, while I still agree that there are some I will persist on with until my dying day, I wonder where that leaves the dreams that are simply not possible? Or – perhaps the bigger question – where does that philosophy leave room for God’s dreams in my life?
As I processed the entire book of Esther, that quote seemed to totally come alive for me. Esther might have had dreams before she had been taken to the palace. I’m sure she did! Maybe she dreamed of having a small organic farm that grew simple, clean produce and sold for a simple, honest price. Maybe she wanted to be a wife and mother; she probably had names picked out and everything! Maybe she was dreaming of an education. Regardless, she found herself in the position of Queen and, as I spoke about in The Whole Story last week, it wasn’t exactly the happy fairytale you’d imagine.
Did she lie awake in bed at night pleading with God to give her a new dream?
I don’t know if she asked for it or not, but God blessed her with the opportunity to save the bloodline of Jesus in a way that she could never have dreamed of on her own. Her cousin Mordecai had refused to bow before Haman – the king’s Prime Minister – and it upset Haman enough to take drastic action. With the king’s blessing, he wrote a law that condemned not only Mordecai but also his entire race to death. Mordecai went into mourning immediately and Esther sent someone to find out what the problem was. He told her the situation and pleaded with her to go to the king on their behalf. She reminded him that doing that was basically a suicide mission.
What kind of dream is that?
Mordecai’s response in chapter 4 verse 14 gave a glimpse into God’s good and perfect plan.
If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?
Esther – God rose you up to a position of earthly leverage so that his dream of having you with him for all of eternity could continue! Did you ever imagine that you could be part of THAT dream?! God chose you, Esther, for his great and powerful will that far transcends even our WILDEST dreams!
And he chose me, also, for plans that far transcend even my wildest dreams; for just such a time as this.
___
Dear Lord, thank you so much for creating me, preparing me, and choosing me for your perfect, amazing plan. I humbly ask you to bless me with a new dream. Give me a dream that aligns with your will; a dream that places YOU in control of my earthly time and beyond. Thank you for giving me a heart, mind and soul that wants to create and dream in imitation of you. Amen.
So what you are saying is you have a dream–awesome; well done Emily!
Thanks, Nick! Yes – I have a dream. Not as loudly proclaimed as MLK, Jr., but who knows what tomorrow will bring? 🙂