“On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. ” Esther 5:1-2
Esther. Would she have chosen to be taken away from her uncle, marry the king, and be put in life or death situation on which the survival of her entire nation depended? I don’t know.
But I know that she didn’t.
She may not have chosen her circumstances, but she was chosen. Chosen by God for the time in which she lived, and by her acceptance of that, and her choice to obey, her people were saved.
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“She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah.” ~Genesis 29:35
Jacob. He wanted Rachel, but he got Leah. He would not have chosen Leah, but because of circumstances outside of his control, she became his wife, and bore him six sons, and a daughter. Half of the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. And Judah, her fourth, would be the lineage through which the Messiah would come.
Out of trickery and deceit, and out of more broken sinful people all the way down the line, He brought the Savior. My Redeemer.
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“When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured.” Acts 28:9
Paul. Perhaps he would not have chosen to be shipwrecked on an island, or bitten by a viper. But God chose this, and all of the sick on the island were healed. God was glorified, and many heard the truth.
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I gladly admit I do not understand all the mysteries regarding the will of God and the will of man.
But I do know that while I would like to think I have control over my life, the truth is that
many of my circumstances, I do not get to choose.
But I do choose what how I respond to them. I do choose what I believe in the midst of them.
Will I receive and obey like Esther did? Will I glorify God as Paul did?
Will I choose to believe that God works all things together for good for those who are in Christ Jesus, even in spite of my weakness, failure, and brokenness?
I know I am chosen by Almighty God, and I can trust Him with the choosing.
Sixty-six books in a year 