Rise to the Occasion

Based on Esther 6-8, Acts 6

When Esther rose to her occasion in revealing to the king the awful plan of Haman to kill her people, the Jews, God brought victory for her and her people! The Jews were able to rise up above their suffering & pain, not only being protected in Shushan, but protected from the attacks of other foreign lands, from India all the way to Ethiopia! In one person rising to the occasion she was called to do, a whole nation of people were able to rise & live a better life!

"wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey," Esther 8:11

"And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them." Esther 8:15‭-‬17

The man who once rose up to his occasion, humbly wearing sackcloth, ashes & mourning for his people finally was able to rise to the higher occasion of royalty! God raised him up because of that humility and truly gave him, Esther and his people beauty for ashes! When we first rise to the hard occasion, to that thing which may be difficult, challenging, exhausting, and everything in between, God then allows us to rise above it all in restoration! God has a transformation for all of us. When we pray and stand on The Lord's side, as Mordecai and Esther did so boldly, God will bring us through to something greater than the challenge we are experiencing right now!

"And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people." Acts 6:7‭-‬8

Years later, God prospered His disciples as well, because they were busy with the work of The Kingdom! They rose to the occasion, laboring in The Word & prayer, and they took on others like Stephen to help with the deacon's work of servitude, waiting on tables and laboring in that way...but God didn't leave it at that! He allowed them to do miraculous things, no matter what his "job" or "position" was. If we choose to rise to the occasion for God, even if it first means wearing sackcloth & ashes or waiting on tables, God then allows us to truly rise above to something greater! But are we willing to rise to those little things first? Those little steps lead to big things on the other side! The bitter longsuffering leads to sweet victory!

"The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; And before honour is humility." Proverbs 15:33