It Is Not About You
“All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come into the king these thirty days.” Esther 4:11, ESV
Many times when God allows things to come to us we think it is all about us. Esther knew that her people were in trouble, but she was concerned about her own life. We can be distracted about our own well being and miss the assignment that God has for us. God used Esther’s cousin Mordecai to put her mind back into perspective so that she could focus on the assignment at hand. Esther 4:13-15, ESV
Several weeks ago, my right eye was itching really bad. I would put a warm compress on it and took medication to stop the itching, but it continued. One night it was so bad that swelling and redness with little bumps appeared around the outside of my eye. I prayed and asked God what this was all about, but heard nothing. The itching and swelling got so bad that I called my doctor for an appointment.
When I called the doctor’s office the receptionist said that there was a cancellation and asked if I would I like to take that appointment. I said, “Yes.” When I arrived to the appointment the following day they took me back into the doctor’s office and I waited for my turn. While I was waiting I felt the urge to pray about the conversation I was to have with my doctor. I did not understand why I felt that way, but I prayed for the Holy Spirit to speak through me. A little history about my doctor: we have known each other for years, he is an atheist and knows that I am a Christian. So, we always joked with each other about our differences.
When he walked into the office we went through our usual spatting back and forth, but this time it was different. He looked sad and I learned that he and his wife were headed towards a divorce. I sat for at least 20 minutes listening to him talk about his marriage. I asked God what he wanted me to say to him and God gave me words to encourage his heart. When we finished our conversation I said to him, “You know, I am going to pray for you and your wife.” As he turned to head towards the door, he stopped, turned around and said, “Usually I would make fun of you and give you a hard time when you talked about praying, but today I just want to say, “Thank you.” I knew immediately that I would no longer have any problems with my eye. It was the mechanism God used to get me to visit his office. God sent me on an assignment as his vessel so that He could sit before a hurting individual and give him direction and hope.
I had been praying for years for my doctor to be saved! I could not understand why my eyes were bothering me so much, but it was never about me. It was about God doing the work in another individual’s heart. Amen!
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5:16, ESV
Affirmations: Matthew 10:20; Luke 24:32; Ephesians 6:19, Isaiah 55:11
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