The Certainty of God's Plan

The story of Esther is one of my favorite Bible stories. It has all of the elements that any good story should have. It has rags to riches, government oppression, political intrigue, murder plots, hangings, and the eventual rescue of a whole race of persecuted people. The part of the story that really intrigues me is in CH. 4 v. 14. Mordecai is asking his niece to stand up for the Jewish people in risking her life to seek an audience with her king. He warns her that she must intervene on behalf of her people, and eventually her people are spared, but a different aspect of this story jumped out at me from verse 14. Mordecai's request went something like this. "Listen, Esther, I know that you have access to the king. I also know that Haman wants to kill all of our people. I also know that God has promised our people that we will survive this, but my question to you is do you want to get on board? Oh yeah, by the way, Esther, if you do not help, Haman will kill you and all your family but the Jewish people will be saved either way. Mordecai knew that Esther was strategically placed to help deliver the Jewish people, but he also knew that God would deliver His people either way. This assurance came from the promise that God had given Abraham regarding his people numbering like the sand in the sea and being the line of the Messiah. Mordecai grabbed ahold of this promise and knew that no matter what, the Jewish people would be spared because if they were not, then God's plan would have failed. Mordecai just had to tell Esther to hop on board in the fulfillment of that plan. She could have ignored the welfare of her people and God would have saved them either way. He would not have saved her and her family though. She had a choice to make, follow God's will or face death. We have the same choices to make in our daily lives. God's plan is going to happen. God does not necessarily need us in order for this plan to work out. God offers us a spot on board. We may not know where this train is going, how many hills or snowdrifts that we may climb up or plow through, but we can be assured that God's plan will be fulfilled. Make the decision each and every day to find out God's plan and follow it. If you don't see a destination sign posted at the station, read the Bible, it will help you know what God's plan is for you. Pray that God will give you clarity on His plan, but know that whether we see our destination or not, God is placing us in the position we need to be in, and we need to move in the direction He wants us to go.