Relief and Deliverance Will Rise
I've been reading, along with my church, through the Bible. It is a blessing to read through the Bible together - as a family and as a church body. There is accountability, encouragement, and some good discussions that take place when we are all on the same page. This week, I have been in Esther. Do you ever read a passage and really see it for the first time - even though you've read it many times before? I had one of those moments when reading Esther 4:14. Mordecai tells Esther, "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place ...and who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (ESV, emphasis added) Most of us are familiar with the story of Esther. She is the Jewish girl chosen by the king to be his queen. Then Haman, the king's advisor, decides he wants all the Jews annihilated - and gets the king to agree with him. Esther's cousin, ...