Known to Move Forward Moments with God, Vol. 176
Known To Move Forward1
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
Psalm 143:8
My dad went home to be with the Lord in October 2021. With his passing, I was alone in the world. My brother and mom had both gone to heaven years before, and I was the last one left of my immediate family. It was an incredibly lonely feeling. I felt so lost. I wasn’t sure what to do next, where to go. Have you ever felt that way? Lost, alone, not sure which way to turn or what the path was to move forward. Queen Esther must have experienced some of these feelings knowing she was soon to stand before her king and possibly be rejected and killed.
Queen Esther chose to follow God’s leading and do what He called her to do. She knew she needed strength and courage for this task, which would only come from God. She knew she needed time with Him and the support of those around her. She could not do it alone, not without Him. With her court, she spent three days going before God, seeking His hand, as seen by her command:
Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish. (Esther 4:16)
God’s hand upheld Queen Esther as she went before the king several days later. With courage and strength, she could approach him. She trusted God’s plan; His will would come to pass, even in her death. However, King Ahasuerus’s response was amazing. Not only did he hold out his scepter but offered her half the kingdom, readily accepting her dinner invitation for himself and Haman.
While planning and hosting two royal dinners, Queen Esther patiently waited for God’s guidance in revealing Haman’s evil ways. She showed patience and grace as she planned how to bring the plot before the king. King Ahasuerus was willing to grant her the request from the start, but the queen held back. She didn’t use the position she held to get what she wanted, and she didn’t tattle on Haman to get her way or to have vengeance. An evil had been done, and Queen Esther carefully presented the issue. Her motives would be clear to the king: she wanted to save her people.
Throughout this story, Queen Esther knew what was at stake. She also knew that she had a job to do. If she did not risk herself, her people would be at risk. She knew more and more that her risk was little compared with God’s plans. She also knew that she could not fulfill His plan without His guidance, wisdom, and strength. She sought Him completely, and as she and those around her spent time fasting and praying before the Lord, they were filled with Him. I imagine her sharing the prayer of David: “Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul” (Psalm 143:8).
Queen Esther knew the way to move forward in the coming days because she allowed God to show her the way to go. She was assured of His never-ending love, and she trusted God completely. She spent time with Him, and He gave her the courage to move forward with the plan He had for her.
Like Queen Esther, we can be put in situations where we know we need to respond. We are required to act, but we have no clue where to start or which way to turn. We feel lost and unsure. The path forward seems insurmountable. In His never-ending love, God faithfully guides us along the next steps. He gives us the courage to do what He needs us to do. We just need to allow Him to show us the way.
Hear in the morning and be reminded of God’s steadfast love.