You can make it

‘At that time there was a Jewish man in the fortress of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair. He was from the tribe of Benjamin and was a descendant of Kish and Shimei. His family had been among those who, with King Jehoiachin of Judah, had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. This man had a very beautiful and lovely young cousin, Hadassah, who was also called Esther. When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter’ (Esther 2:5-7).

Esther’s story will inspire anyone to prominence.  As an orphan who had lost both parents she was adopted, taken in and raised by Mordecai her cousin. Unknown to Mordecai, his little poor cousin that he was raising as his own daughter, was the future queen of the Medo-Persian empire, and it was through her that the entire nation of Israel will be delivered (Esther 2:15). Esther’s rise to prominence is a reminder of the fact that, with God all things are possible. By the grace of God Esther rose from a place of insignificance to a place of honor, and rewrote the genealogy of her family. With the blessings and grace of God, there are no heights you can’t climb in life. This study focuses on Esther’s Journey to prominence and the lessons it offers.

Unlike Daniel and Ezekiel who remained in Babylon after being taken there by Nebuchadnezzar, Mordecai was taken to the palace of Shushan and he was made an official there. Mordecai’s role in Esther’s life was noteworthy. His compassion, foresight, mentorship, counseling and guidance were that which molded Esther into her destiny. Esther 2:11 reveals that, ‘every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out about Esther and what was happening to her’. The Harem was the place where the young beautiful women that were been prepared to be chosen to replace Vashti (the previous queen) were being kept (Esther 2:8). Clearly, everybody needs somebody and no one can survive as an island. Isaac Newton said, ‘If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants’.

Based on Mordecai’s advice, Esther kept her mouth shut about her Jewish identity until after many years when her position was secured as the queen (Esther 2:20). Sometimes learning to be quite saves us from unnecessary battles. She also accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the harem, which led Ahasuerus the king into choosing her as his wife (Esther 2:15). The lesson here is, God always brings our ‘Mordecais’ and ‘Hegais’ our way to guide us to our promised land, but it is our responsibility as individuals to recognize them and allow them to play their role as mentors in our lives. Everyone needs a mentor. Proverbs 1:5 says ‘let the wise listen and add to their learning’. Most people bring untold hardships on themselves and make their journeys to their promised lands longer all because, instead of humbling themselves and learning from others, they only learn from their personal mistakes. Remember, lessons of a life time can be learnt in a day if you can humble yourself and learn from others.

Finally, Esther’s preparation before being chosen as the queen offers another significant lesson. Before being taken to see king Ahasuerus, the young women that were vying for his heart were taken through a whole year of beauty treatment - ‘six months with oil of myrrh, followed by six months with special perfumes and ointments’ (Esther 2:12). This definitely called for focus and discipline. To make it to where God has ordained you to be, you surely need some preparation. God calls us as we are, but he doesn’t use us just as we are. He molds and prepares us through His word, prayer, people and places or circumstances. When preparation meets opportunity there is success. Without preparation you will only see your future but not possess it.

A lot of people have come to a point in life where they have stopped dreaming. Life’s storms like illness, the loss of loved ones, loss of jobs etc, have knocked them down and they have stopped dreaming and have given up all hope. No!! It is time to get back up, don’t give up. It is not over until God says so. Dream again. Today, may God remind you of any forgotten dreams and may you receive the grace and strength to pursue your dreams again.

Finally, Esther beat all the odds and was chosen as the one to replace Queen Vashti. If Esther made it, you can make it.  Dream big, think big and take the limits off God. His word for you today is, open your eyes and ‘see, I am doing a new thing’ (Isaiah 43:19). The next lesson is a follow up to this one entitled, ‘Born for a reason’.