Esther, Day 7
Esther 9:18 – 10:3
How good is your memory? Mine is terrible. The other day, I was picking up a prescription for my daughter and I had to give her birthday — I got the month and day right but the year was a struggle. That night at youth group, students and I were reminiscing about a trip we took a few years ago, and one of the students told a story about how she got sick and I made her call her mom. I had no recollection of this happening. I remember some of the events they were describing, but not this particular story she was describing. Every vacation, my sisters tell stories about me growing up that I’m convinced they’ve made up because I do not remember them happening.
If we’re honest with ourselves, even the best of us do not always remember things accurately. We tend to exaggerate or minimize or just flat-out forget things. This is normal. However, it’s also why it’s important for us to celebrate what God has done in our lives. We have no problem celebrating yearly events: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. However, we do not do such a good job celebrating the moments when God has shown up in our lives. We tend to celebrate at the moment and then move on. This can lead us to a bit of spiritual amnesia when we need it most. When times are dark and we are wondering where God is and what He will do, we need reminders of what He has done for us in the past. Remembering God’s presence and provision in our lives is fundamental to helping us endure hardships.
I believe that is why throughout the Old Testament you see the establishment of days of remembrance for when God showed up, so that the people and future generations would not forget God’s presence and provision in their lives. At the end of the book of Esther, we see the establishment of the festival of Purim. Esther 9:22 recaps the story that would be told for generations at that celebration:
“as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.”
What about you? When has God shown up in your life and turned your sorrow into gladness? When has God’s provision been on display in your life, and what are you doing to remind yourself of His presence and provision so that you do not forget or minimize the greatness of God and lose focus during times of trials?
Adam Deering