Thursday April 17th, 2024
« You bless righteous people, O LORD. Like a large shield, you surround them with your favor »
1 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house.
2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.
3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”
Queen Esther found favor in the sight of her husband the king, and thus was promised blessings up to one-half of the kingdom, as we see in the Bible reading of today.
There are lots of lessons in this passage. One is that the king saw Esther.
- In 1 Samuel 16:11-13, favor located David while he was watching over the flock of his father.
- Favor also found the mad man of Gadara in the graveyard, and he was healed (Mark 5:1-15).
God’s blessings can locate you anywhere.
A sister who had been looking for a husband went to a funeral. At the same ceremony, there was another brother who had been searching for a wife. The brother saw her looking very radiant and concluded that if she could be that beautiful in mourning clothes, she would be even more so when in high spirit. This marked the beginning of a courtship that led to marriage.
The king did not just see Esther, he focused on her.
When your day of favor comes, God will not just glance at you, He will focus on you.
The day favor beamed on the sick man at Bethesda, Jesus located him for healing.
A man who was jobless despite his two doctoral degrees, received favor after he gave his life to Christ and got multiple job offers.
I recall the story of a mother who used diabolical means to prevent her daughter from getting married because she didn’t want to be neglected. I prayed with the daughter, and she got a suitor within one week.
Whatever is blocking the view of those who should favor you shall be removed today in Jesus’ name.
Going into the king’s chamber without an invitation was a very dangerous thing to do, as we see in Esther 4:11.
Thus, we can say Esther embarked on a suicide mission when she went into the king’s presence uninvited.
However, she found favor: what could have been her last visit to the king became the beginning of a new life not only for her but for the entire Jewish community in Shushan.
Favor shall locate you this season in Jesus’ name.
The only obstacle to divine favor is unrighteousness.
« You bless those who obey you, LORD; your love protects them like a shield »
This is why I am appealing to you to surrender your life to Jesus our Savior.
When you do, begin to live a life that is acceptable to God, and then you too would enjoy divine favor.
Prayer focus – Father, please let Your favor locate me for breakthroughs today in the mighty name of Jesus
Author – Bishop Enoch. A. Adeboye.
Edited by Naomie
Freely you received, freely you must give (Math 10:8) , kindly share this devotion, and the Lord will bless you for it.
Spread the love of Christ by clicking on the ♥
copingwords@gmail.com
