Mindy Lee Hopman

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. ~Psalm 139:13-14

The lineage of the coming King continued to travel through God’s chosen people when God planned for the Persian King to marry a young Jewish girl named Esther. God strategically placed Esther and her hidden heritage in a position of influence for His perfect plan to prevail.

When I read the story of Esther, I admire Mordecai for taking in his uncle’s daughter. I’m sure Mordecai loved Esther as his own child.

Today’s Scripture:

Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go into the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of all who saw her. ~Esther 2:15

But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up. ~Esther 2:20, NIV

“And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?” ~Esther 4:14

Today’s Snapshot: A Hidden Heritage

We stomped our feet loudly and shook the noisemakers fiercely when the rabbi read Haman’s name from the Scriptures during the annual Purim celebration. As a young girl, I clearly remember hearing the story of Esther read aloud at the synagogue.

God does not use obvious people to carry out His plans. His ways are better and higher than ours and His purpose is sometimes easier to see when we look backward in time. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.

King Xerxes dismissed Vashti from the royal throne and chose Esther, a young Jewish girl, to fill her shoes. The king did not know of Esther’s Jewish heritage when she was picked out of the many beautiful women to become his new queen.

When the Hebrew nation was threatened to be destroyed by Haman’s evil plan, Esther’s royal position allowed for her to be in the perfect place at the perfect time to carry out God’s purpose for His chosen people. Only the king’s wife could change the king’s heart in one pivotal moment of time.

Esther’s placement in the Persian palace allowed for the entire Hebrew nation to be perfectly preserved and for God to send a baby through them in His perfect timing to a broken and hurting world that needed a Savior.

Family Discussion:

• How can you apply “Hindsight is 20/20” to your own life?
• Have you ever been in the perfect place at the perfect time to see God’s purpose work through you?

Isn’t it awesome to witness how much work God does behind the scenes to prepare the way for the birth of the newborn King? Joy to the world! The Lord is come! Let Earth receive her King!!

Closing Prayer:

Dear Lord,

We love looking back to see Your fingerprints on the lives of the specific people in the lineage of Jesus Christ all the way forward to the people in our lives whom You strategically placed to individually lead us to Christ. Thank You for the precious silent night over two thousand years ago when the new baby was born to save the world.  In the precious name of Jesus, we pray, Amen

This devotional is adapted from Faith Roots: An Advent Family Devotional available for purchase on Amazon.