Piercing the Darkness

John 1:4-5

4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.     NKJV

1 Thessalonians 5:5-11...............5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.      NKJV

My desire this year was to teach on women of the Bible who were women of prayer! In spending time researching and reading............Esther is always been one to me who stands as one who was willing to " pierce the darkness".

If Jesus is really in our hearts, then are we edifying others, and seeking to help them to come higher by our example or do we just resemble "the world"?

Please study for yourself the life of Esther and find that which you can glean for your own life! For truly she made her mark in history for the Lord!

Esther was a stranger in a strange land. Her parents had died and she had come to live with her cousin  Mordecai in Susa. Mordecai knew her as Hadassah, Fearing for her safety, he changed her name to what we know today as Esther.

There was many things transpiring at the palace for the King Xerxes. It was on the last day of feast    ( Esther 1:9-12) and the King sent in his seven chamberlains (or eunuchs) to bring his wife Queen Vashti before the King's table. My question is "why bring your wife, even a Queen in before men who had been drinking and partying for seven days"? And we know that she refused to go before the "drunken party of men".

But Queen Vashti had to have been a noble woman and was not willing to flaunt her beauty before the drunken man. In reality, she held to the respect towards her husband, that if he did not keep her safe and behind secure doors, she surely should be choosing to remain modest behind them. She did not exhibit herself in this public assembly of partying men. She wanted to retain honor and her kingly husband refused her!

So we move on to Esther.........and in Esther 2:17-20.......we find she had more favor with the king and she won the approval over all the other virgins. A royal crown was set on her head. When time came for the Great Banquet, it was for Esther and all nobles and officials were invited to attend.

Esther became a Queen to a pagan King. No one knowing her heritage, she walked with the King and remained faithful to her adoptive father, Mordecai. We understand through reading through this book, that Esther was headed for destiny to pierce the darkness. It was imperative for her not to reveal her heritage to others till the time came for the revelation come to save a nation.

Esther 4:13-17..............13 Then Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!" 17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.     NKJV

She was brave and knew the peril before her. She had not been called to the King's quarters in 30 days. She was going to have to do something to get to talk with the King, her husband.

As we read from the beginning of her life in the Citadel of Susa, she had many teachers. She was a woman who had courage when facing the enemy.
(She had learned from her cousin, but also learned from those in the court of the king. She learned the government and protocol)

Proverbs 4:10-13...............10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings,
And the years of your life will be many. 
11 I have taught you in the way of wisdom;
I have led you in right paths. 
12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered,
And when you run, you will not stumble. 
13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life. ..NKJV

And the "one thing" I call your attention to is that she prayed. In the above passage, she came to the hour that prayer and fasting was needed. She agreed with Mordecai,  that even her maids will likewise fast. And  Esther was expecting, that even though it was against the law for her to go the King, she would do what answer came from the prayer and fasting.

One thing about Esther, she was gathering all her information  and she acted!She was being led by wisdom.  Her being obedient was paramount to her and did not matter whether she perished or not, she was on her way to the palace. She moved through in the wisdom of God and allowed Him freedom to guide her every step of the way!

Esther 7:1-4.....7:1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!" 3 Then Queen Esther answered and said, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4 For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king's loss."  NKJV
As she came before the King and asked her petition, the truth came out of Esther and her people.
"If I have found favor in your sight, O king and if it pleases the king, let my life be given at my petition and my people at my request."
She speaks of the evil plan of Haman and how he, Haman, had worked towards a plan to destory her people.

Esther 7:10.......... 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king's wrath subsided. NKJV

Esther 8:1-8...........8:1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman. 

3 Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. 4 And the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, 5 and said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6 For how can I endure to see the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?" 

7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Indeed, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. 8 You yourselves write a decree for the Jews, as you please, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for a letter which is written in the king's name and sealed with the king's signet ring no one can revoke."  NKJV

Piercing the Darkness!

We too, can have that moment when we must stand against something that is there to stop us, get rid us, or even harm us!

I had worked for some years in the child care industry. I loved working with children and watching their vigor and character form into a young youth and into adulthood. One moment stands out to me in all those years, when one must face the darkness and pierce it with God's truth and prayer.

In the department I worked in, we had a mixture babies and young school age children. Some of the babies were a little delayed sometimes in walking. Not because they were in any way challenged but in their weight and some "slight laziness". But they all got to the point one day of walking on two feet. Praise the Lord!

One such boy, was only 16 months old and he would do what we called " the military crawl". And he certainly was fast on his belly in doing this crawl!

One older child ( about 6 years of age or 7 years of age) came in one day, and began to hit the small ones on the head, first with a toy and then his fist. We stopped him, separated the child out from the others and told the supervisor and the mother of older child. There were always at least three adults working to keep the smaller number children safe as the day of work was ending.

The older child had done this specific thing before and now was up to his third time which meant about 3 months of "no visit " to the childcare department.

The mother was terribly displeased and was very vocal of her resentment. The lady wrote a letter to the owner of business, the manager of business and of course for the supervisor as well. Two names were on the letter to state that we were against her child. Now the Lord had said for me to spend time during this long weekend to pray and that was what I did. I went to prayer that holiday weekend and was seeking His wisdom of what might come from all of this. I wanted to know "God's plan" in all of this!

Long story shortened, all read the letter. It came down the chain of command and it was even brought to us after the holiday weekend. But no one wanted to do anything with it, for the two of us ladies had worked there for a very long time and had proven our faithfulness to care for all the children that came to that daycare. The letter had been passed down from owner to manager and then supervisor and of course, our supervisor was not going to do anything about it. She knew our work ethics.

When the supervisor had brought "the letter" in for us to read, I remember walking across the room to get it from her hand and walked with it....reading down the page as I walked the entire length of that room.................and I came back praising God out loud for His goodness to me and to my co-worker!

In and through this time period, we continued to work and give thanks to God and to pray for those who would want you gone now!
People knew me in that place. They knew I would pray for them and they knew I would always talk about my God!

When we spend time with God, and plead the Blood of Jesus over every situation, we see His power released on the earth for our benefit. 

Like Esther, we too, can pierce the darkness, believe for the good to come from all the chaos and expect to continue going forward in His plan for our lives.

We are to be the light of men who shine in darkness and even though the darkness does not comprehend it, we are those sons of the day. We are to be watchful through prayer and sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love. At every turn we are appointed to comfort and edify one another.

Esther had cousin Mordecai who adopted her, to teach her, to care for and stand with her as she grew up. The Lord wants to teach us, care for us and STAND WITH US WHEN THOSE WHO WOULD STAND IN OPPOSITION AGAINST US FOR DOING GOOD!

1 John 1:5-10......5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.  NKJV


Father, thank You for the Light of Your word. Our fellowship is to give You glory and praise. I pray that we would continue to be those who have fellowship with You and to stay in the light of Your Word. It is Jesus' Blood that cleanses us from all sins. In 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11....we are no longer of the night or in darkness. I pray that we would be those who "watch" through prayer and are sober, who put on the breastplate of faith and love with the helmet of salvation that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ. It is our opportunity to comfort others and to edify them where You have planned for us to work and play.  I pray that each of us would be the "Light" that pierces the darkness and stand believing YOU have our backs and that nothing will harm us. Thank You FOR the truth of Your Word that gives us wisdom to face peril, and receive instruction to walk in the way of truth and righteousness all the days of our lives in Jesus' name. Amen

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