I’ve heard this saying a number of times recently ~ “Walking in your destiny.” I’ve pondered many times its meaning and how it applies to my life. Am I “walking in my destiny?” In order to answer that question I need to define what the sentence means. Briefly, my understanding of it is that I would be doing what God has ordained for me to do on this earth.
What made me unscramble my thoughts on the topic and put them down as cohesively as I can, was my Bible reading over the last couple of days. I read the book of Esther. There are a number of central figures in the book of Esther, but the two who jumped out at me as those who went from waiting for it to happen to actually walking in their destiny were Esther and her guardian relative Mordecai.
The story, in short, is one of redemption. While the Name of God is not mentioned in the book, His fingerprints are all over it. It came to pass that while thousands of Jews returned to Jerusalem. Mordecai and Esther did not. They stayed in exile under an erratic foreign King Xerxes who was furious with his wife and decided to replace her. In a year long selection process, the beautiful Esther stood out as one who pleased the king. And so Hadassah, the Jewess, entered the palace under the name of Esther and for years never breathed a word about her nationality.
Mordecai followed Esther’s movements closely. Spending much time at the palace gate, he was a familiar face to those who went in and out of the king’s presence. One of the king’s close aides was Haman. He knew Mordecai was a Jew and despised the fact that he wouldn’t bow to him as he left the palace. Haman concocted a horrible plan – the annihilation of all the Jews. When Mordecai heard this, he was devastated and immediately tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. When Esther heard he was distressed, she sent a message to him to find out why. Only then did she discover that all her people in the land were sentenced to death. Famous words are sent from Mordecai back to her:
Esther 4:12-14
“When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther cleverly sets up dinners with the king and Haman and with the Lord’s intervention through a dream, the king calls Mordecai in to honour him for thwarting an assassination attempt on the king’s life. Haman is humiliated and soon executed. The king retracts the interdict to kill all the Jews and they are saved.
Mordecai’s journey to walking in his destiny, didn’t happen overnight. Many days were spent waiting. Esther had to take a massive risk in approaching the king and admitting she was Jewish. She had to plead with the king to reverse his decision. In doing so, she was key to the salvation of the Jews.
Esther is a book about redemption. More than 400 years later, Jesus came to fulfil His salvation plan for all the world.
You may be walking in your destiny (already doing what God wants you to do) or you may be waiting. While you wait, pass on the truth of His salvation to the next generation – that way you are part of keeping the Word of God alive for the centuries to come. If you are Jewish, you will have been taught the story of Esther from childhood and celebrate it every year. It is remarkable that Esther’s account has been passed on with accuracy for more than 2400 years.
If you want to read the book of Esther, click here.
Keep the smile going!
God bless you!
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂