Year of Realization - Day 5: What about your right to choose?

“So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women.”

‭‭Esther‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It seems that some people want more and more things, circumstances, and so on, from which to choose. And yet, we find that on our modern online search engines, we can become overwhelmed with the number of choices that can be made. Indeed, the things presented from which to choose can be overwhelming. Therefore, most good search engines within retail websites, will allow you to set the parameters for your search. In this way, you can cull out those choices not meeting the criteria for what you are seeking.

But what about the choices we make in terms of what to do with our lives?

First of all, allow me to make what may sound like a very cynical statement: you do not have an unlimited number of choices in terms of what you can do with your life. To think that that is true is naive.

Make no mistake, we all are living our lives within a context; and in that context, are many dynamics determining the choices available to us.

Now, of course, there are “impossible dreams” to be dreamed and even pursued; but, for most people, their life choices will be made from the realm of the possible.

In fact, if you want your choosing to have access to that which seems impossible, you need only make one choice: submit your will, along with your right to choose, to the Lord.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

In our opening scripture we see that Esther—having been born in a foreign land because of the captivity of her great grandparents—is now being chosen to be taken to the King’s court where she will be prepared for the King’s scrutiny. But, where in all of this is Esther’s right to choose?

As we see over and over in the story, Esther makes one choice that then determines the rest of her choices: she is obedient to her immediate authority, Mordecai and obedient to her ultimate authority, the Lord.

As an aside, some people make a big deal out of the fact that the name of the Lord is not mentioned in the book of Esther. But all indications are that belief in the Lord was implicit in the lives of the Jews, informing all they did. The fact that Esther called for a fast—and indeed fasted herself before going before the King (which we will see later on)—indicates her submission to a greater power. For the Jews, that greater power was the Lord. (Of course, we know that the Jews did, at times, fall into idolatry, but there is no indication that that was the case with these Jews at this particular time.)

Yes, I suppose Esther could’ve refused to go to the King’s court. We don’t know what might’ve happened to her; in fact, it may have cost her her life. But, she did have the right to make that choice. Instead, she made the choice to follow the path that the Lord put in front of her.

Now, I will take this opportunity to caution you that not all things put before you have been placed there by the Lord. Indeed, we know that the enemy of our souls is constantly wanting to draw us from the path of the Lord’s plan for us. However, if we have submitted our will to the Lord, and are doing our best to walk according to His word, we can be confident that our inner witness (the Holy Spirit speaking to our own spirit) will not fail to direct us in the path we need to go.

So, let’s go back to the question with which we began today: what about your right to choose?

Firstly, the Lord does not strip you of your right to choose. Alternatively, the devil will attempt to do just that; that is why he works by the power of deception. His desire is to dominate by whatever means necessary. However, our Lord, our good Father, simply invites us to walk in His will and purpose.

The above scripture from Proverbs says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” What this means is that at every juncture we must submit the decision making process to God’s will and His purposes.

Think of it, only the Lord knows the plan that He has for you. And, it is in that plan, and that plan only, that you will find true peace, power, and joy.

Simply put, you do have the right to choose; but clinging to that right, will disqualify you from realizing all that God has for you. So, choose Him.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming. Get ready for Him!

#yearofrealization