Year of Realization - Day 71: The exaltation of the righteous will be seen by all.

“Then Mordecai left the king’s presence, wearing the royal robe of blue and white, the great crown of gold, and an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree.”

‭‭Esther‬ ‭8‬:‭15‬ ‭NLT

As we have discussed many times before, it’s difficult to watch evil people get what you would like to have for yourself. In fact, this is the theme of Psalm 37. As I have shared before, this was one of my grandfather’s favorite scriptures to suggest for meditation. What I would like to point out here (in terms of Psalm 37) is that part of the encouragement offered for those who are having difficulty with the success of evil people, is the promise that one day—when it’s all sorted out—our righteousness will shine forth for all to see.

‬‬“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭37‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Indeed, trusting in the Lord is the best “beauty treatment” any of us could employ. Asking the Lord for what we need and trusting Him to answer it will lead to a radiance no amount of cosmetics could approximate.

“I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I like the portion of the above scripture that says “no shadow of shame will darken their faces.” Now, if you watch much live TV (for example, news programs), you will notice that there is a vast amount of light shining on the hosts’ faces to make sure there are no shadows and to “erase” all lines and imperfections. Just imagine how the light of the Lord shining upon us can change our dark countenance into a glorious visage!

In fact, we see this special “light treatment” offered to all those who do the Lord’s bidding in terms of reaching out to the poor, needy, and afflicted.

“Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your healing (restoration, new life) will quickly spring forth; Your righteousness will go before you [leading you to peace and prosperity], The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭58‬:‭8‬ ‭AMP‬‬

In our opening scripture we see that Mordecai has been adorned with all the trappings of royalty. Once doomed to death by his enemy, he is now glorious, and all the people can see it.

Now, in our daily lives we may not see the kind of vindication and exaltation that Mordecai saw, but make no mistake, in terms of eternity, that exaltation will happen to those who trust in the Lord.

So, don’t worry about how the wicked may be temporarily showing off. Remember, their “glory” is like that of a flower that blooms and fades after just a few hours. On the other hand, the true glory, the beauty, the radiance, God will bestow on His own, will last forever.

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#yearofrealization