Title bigger? / at 9:20-32
Contents
bigger?
(Es 9:20-32)
Esther is a woman who was the queen of King Ahasuerus in the heyday of Persia. However, the name ‘Esther’ means “star” in Persian. Esther lost her parents at an early age and was raised as an adopted daughter by her cousin Mordecai. What is surprising, however, is the fact that she, who was born as a foreigner and an orphan, has become a queen who rules the whole world by God's great grace. But more importantly, he did not stay on the one-dimensional success of becoming a queen of a country, but becoming a great successor who became a great star in the kingdom of God. Everyone! To what extent is that success, the three great festivals have been kept in Israel to this day, and Purim, one of the three great festivals, was created because of this little orphan girl. That's right. A woman's upright faith created a national feast.
So what does this show us? It means that not only Esther, but me and all of you, regardless of background, current circumstances and circumstances, can achieve great victories as a great star in the history of faith in the future. Therefore, the first thing we should seek first is the grace of God. Saints! It is the grace of God that precedes greatness. Therefore, I hope that all of us will be the object of great grace and will be used more than we are capable of. If so, what did she do to be able to become the object of great grace, which was used more than her ability, despite her poor circumstances and circumstances? The text says it like this:
1. Prepare a large bowl.
First, in order to become a person of grace who will be greatly used, you must prepare a large vessel of character. You should never be timid. Her background was more humble than anyone else's. But her insides were deeper and bigger than anyone else's. So, even after becoming a queen, she did not forget her love for God and the nation. He did not forget Mordecai's grace. And to save Mordecai from danger, he took any risk and boldly went before the king. Everyone! Everyone tends to hide their weaknesses. And it is easy to lose grace in front of one's own disadvantage. However, this woman of faith was able to overcome all these things because she had a vessel with a deeper personality than anyone else.
Everyone! How many potentials is King Saul? But he nevertheless lived a life that was less than his ability. But look at Abraham and Job! Look at David! Even though they all had indescribable weakness and poor circumstances, they received more grace than they were capable of. Why? This is because their personalities and dispositions have the magnificence of great men. Therefore, above all else, we must have the character of a large vessel. The greater the measure of a person, the greater God uses him.
2. We need to pray louder.
Second, in order to become a vessel to be used more greatly, we need to pray more loudly. In a word, successful people in the Bible have one thing in common: they pray desperately. If you look at Esther in today's text, it is. She went forward with a determination that “if I die, I will die.” And he proclaimed a three-day fast and prayed to the Jews, and he prayed in the same way and prayed loudly before God. In this way, she was the possessor of the prayer of determination. And this moved the heart of God. The secret to Esther's victory over Haman was the prayer that risked her life. That's right.
Everyone! If we just fall on our knees and pray with our tears, if we give our lives to pray, God will never pretend that we don't know. God always has mercy on us. In 2 Kings 20:5, we see King Hezekiah praying with tears over his illness. Then God said, "Thus says the LORD, the God of David your father, I have heard your prayers and have seen your tears. Also, in Psalm 56:8, David confessed before God, "You have counted my wanderings; put my tears into Your bottle; are they not written in Your book?" In this way, God is with us when we shed painful tears. Therefore, we must expand the boundaries of our faith bigger and bigger through prayer.
3. You must have greater faith.
Third, we must have greater faith. Mordecai was a captive and was just a gatekeeper at midday. However, he never gave up on his dream of faith even in these circumstances. 103 years have passed since Israel was taken captive to Persia. This long period of time was a period that allowed the Israelites to give up their dream of faith in God and to adjust to the captivity to some extent. However, Mordecai never gave up on his dream of faith in God even in this barren situation. And he hoped for the dream of faith in young Esther. Therefore, he did not neglect to educate her in thorough faith and faith from a young age.
As a result of this, Esther, an orphan of heavenly orphans, was able to become a great star of the nation, who was used more than her ability. Saints! Jesus also tells us that the measure of your faith determines the size of your life. In other words, Jesus said that if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, nothing is impossible for you. Therefore, we must not give up our vision of faith toward God under any circumstances. Rather, the measure of faith must be expanded infinitely.
Dear saints, What kind of life are you living now? Are you not living a life that is inferior to your abilities despite your natural abilities? Are you living a life of resignation and desperation? However, today's text is telling you that you can live with more power in spite of your weakness and bad conditions. That's right. The story of your life does not end here. What really matters is your character, your prayers and your faith. Therefore, I bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus, that everyone who understands this word may become the great stars of the kingdom of God who will be used much more than your abilities by going forward with a venture faith that only looks at God. Hallelujah!