By Laura Young, Spring 2024 P+P Participant
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“Reveal to heal.”
With these words given by God through our lovely sister & Purity + Peace leader, Daisy, we began our journey toward Purity and Peace. Each of us undoubtedly carried our own wounds, scars, uncertainties, and fears—baggage that had been handed to us by life and accumulated over the years. Perhaps some were encouraged by Daisy’s words, perhaps others were unnerved by it.
Revealing can be scary.
Would it truly lead to healing?
Or possibly more hurt?
There’s always risk involved with vulnerability.
Yet, we chose to be brave, standing on what we knew (or maybe even just wanted to know) deep in our hearts: that God is good and trustworthy with our most broken parts.
Now here we are, healed, and we know it to be true in a new way.
As we come to the close of this portion of our journey, I am reminded of another brave woman: Queen Esther.
She was beautiful and humble—after all, this is how she became Queen to the King of Persia in the Biblical account.
What she is most known for today, however, is her courage and selflessness.
Queen Esther was used by God to save the Jewish people at a time when their very existence seemed to be doomed by the schemes of Haman, an evil official who had taken it upon himself to convince the King to sign an edict declaring the
annihilation of Esther’s people.
How did Esther pull off such a victory?
Well, she took refuge in her relationship with her husband, who was also her King. Then, she did something daring and invited an unlikely visitor to dinner...
First things first.
Esther prepared and beautified herself, fasting for three days and then putting on her royal robes before entering the King’s court; she was now ready to bring her request before him. Though she could have been put to death for daring to approach the King without being summoned, she pushed past what must have been torrents of fear and anxiety.
Her cause was that important.
The Bible tells us that the moment that the King saw his beautiful wife, he was pleased. Not only did he not put Esther to death, but he expressed his favor by telling her that she could have whatever she wanted—even up to half of his Kingdom!
In the face of such an incredible opportunity, Esther made a request that may have surprised the King: she asked to have dinner with him and Haman.
Yes, Haman, her enemy.
:::::: Pause :::::
Does this story remind you of anyone?
No?
Let me explain... You are Esther!
We are Esther.
You, Bride of the King, may have been faced with seemingly insurmountable brokenness, life situations, and even lies from the devil that threatened your very life. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and he has certainly tried to do so with you.
He is your Haman. Yet, he could not defeat you.
Like Esther, you were brave enough to approach your husband and King.
You discovered that not only was your King, Jesus, not angry or disappointed in you, but you had found favor with Him. You brought a smile to his face the very moment you entered His throne room.
Then, seeing that you could trust Him, you chose to be vulnerable with Him.
You chose to ‘reveal to heal.’
Psalm 23 tells us that our King is one who “prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies."
Like Esther, you invited your King to sit down at a table with you and your enemy.
You had been sitting alone with that enemy for far too long, listening to his lies of shame, fear, and hopelessness. It took bravery on your part to even invite your ‘Haman’ to the
table, but it had to be done, for you could not overcome him alone and it was time for him to face your King.
The Bible relays that once the King sat down to eat with Esther and Haman, she told him of the evil Haman had done and was plotting against her and her people. The King was enraged, and Haman became terrified, begging Esther for his life, which prompted the King to order Haman’s immediate death.
Esther and her people were saved!
Dear Esthers, your King is a fierce protector, and he hates the enemy of your soul.
Though the enemy may have appeared to wield his power over you, you have found that he is no match for your King. Together, we have found that he is no match for our King.
As we move forward to continue our respective journeys in inner Purity and Peace, let’s remember to always make our enemy reckon with our King. Let’s continue to expose the devil and his lies to the light, love, and truth of King Jesus, our Heavenly Father, and our helper, the Holy Spirit.
Let’s continue to do so in community with trustworthy sisters and friends in Christ.
When we feel it, and when we don’t—the victory is ours, and will continue
to be ours through our King.
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