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Week Six

October 13, 2021

• Esther 5 has been called the Tale of Two Plans. The first half walks us through Esther’s plan with the king. The second half details Haman’s plan with Mordecai. What differences do you notice in each plans approach? How can we be certain we’re discerning God’s plan for our lives from his Word rather than devising our OWN plans void of him?
• The king’s first wife, Queen Vashti, risked her life by not appearing before the king when summoned; now Esther risked her life by appearing before the king unsummoned!
• Esther more fully assumes the dignity and power of her royal position as queen AFTER she decides to align herself with God’s people, after she decides that it’s her Jewish identity that will define her.
• Esther’s plan highlights the importance of showing restraint and resolve, and of listening to and trusting in God’s timing. There are times when we need to “dare to be a Daniel,” to be more direct and bolder. But there are also times when a more indirect, subtle approach is appropriate . . . and will yield greater results. God will equip us with faith to participate in his plan and to seek discernment concerning whether to “dare to be a Daniel” or to show restraint like Esther. We can rely on him and trust him to lead us and guide us appropriately.
• How amazing that God invites us to come into his presence regularly, frequently, and make known to him our petitions and requests . . . that he delights in our presence.
• When we make worldly things (like our own egos) our idols and then feed those idols instead of starving them, we end up emptier than ever, in even greater bondage than before! When we make idols of worldly things, it consumes us and robs us of our true joy found only in the Lord. Reflection: In what ways do you feed your idolatry rather than starving it?
• When our idols are being threatened (or when we feed our idols rather than starve them), we’re most at risk for our emotions to become very disproportionate to whatever offended us. “The identity of our idols is most easily exposed by analyzing our strongest emotions. What is it that causes you to be angry out of all proportion to the offense? The answer is a clue that one of our idols is being threatened.” Iain Duguid

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