Esther

August 14

Esther 1:1-4, 10-12, 2:5-7

The beautiful orphan

By now, many Jews had returned to Judah, while some had stayed on in Babylon, a city in Persia. King Xerxes became the new ruler of Persia, and in the third year of his reign, there were great celebrations. On the last day of the celebrations, the king (who was drunk) ordered his wife, Queen Vashti, to be brought to him. But she refused to come. The king was furious and gave an order that the queen was not allowed to see him ever again.

But after some time, when the king’s anger cooled down and he realized that he would never see Vashti again, he became moody. So the king’s advisors suggested that they find a suitable woman to take Vashti’s place.

There was a beautiful young woman named Esther whose people had been brought to Babylon as slaves by Nebuchadnezzar. She was an orphan, and her older cousin Mordecai had adopted her and raised her as his own daughter.

Can God care for an orphan like a father?

There are children whose father and mother have died. There are also children who have been separated from their parents during a war and there is no way of finding their parents. These children are orphans. Some children may not have a father in the home, and although they are not orphans, it is just as sad.

God the Father has promised to take special care of orphans and the fatherless by being a father to them.

Even though God doesn’t read you a story at night or check that your teeth are brushed, He makes sure that there is someone to take care of your everyday needs. God sees to it that His children are cared for.

If you don’t have a father to talk to, or if he is away and you long to talk to him, talk to God as though you were talking to your dad. You can tell Him anything that is on your heart. You won’t hear Him talking back to you, but you will know that He is holding you like a shepherd holds his lamb... and sometimes you may even feel His gentle love and comfort surround you (Isaiah 40:11).

Verse for today 

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Psalm 68:5