Mary was not expecting the visitor she received, nor the message that would be brought, but even in this her faith in God fueled her peace. Mary proves to be an example to us of what it means to say yes to God even when we do not fully understand.

Zechariah and Elizabeth had experience in losing hope. They had no children and assumed those days were long gone. For many in Israel, hopes of a savior seemed just as lost. God had been so quiet and yet in the midst of silence would come a rumble of unexpected hope. Luke’s account of Jesus’ life begins with the unexpected and the quiet beginnings of hope would begin to stir once again.

Esther walks us through a radical and dramatic story of God’s quiet sovereignty that provided rescue and redemption for His people. But the final lesson from Esther is a lesson of remembering joy even as exiles. The Feast of Purim was instituted to remind the Jewish people of God’s rescue. This was to be a feast of joy, a reminder that they had been doomed to death but were raised to life. The story of Esther reminds us even today of God’s providence, His provision, and His presence, something we exiles would do well to remember with Joy.

Passages of death, destruction, and violence have often been a point of contention for people. What is really happening here at this moment as we are told of thousands who are killed? Where it seemed the Jewish people were destined for destruction now we see them standing tall in triumph. What do we learn from this great reversal?

There are times when the odds seem insurmountable, the mountain in front of us too massive, the current too strong to swim against. The King had made his decree, and that decree would not be undone. So what could be done? Esther was handed the pen of the King and what happens next serves to remind us that transformed hearts transform people.

We have all heard the phrase, pride comes before the fall, and yet we are still surprised when the fall comes. When we become blind to our faults, our faults seem to find us. If we consume the wrong things, they end up consuming us. This is the lesson that Haman would learn too late. The very power he was pursuing, would end up consuming him.

All the plans were coming into place and yet one sleepless night would change everything. It can often seem as though God is absent, quiet, or just missing from the world around us, but He is always there and He is always working. On a night when King Ahasuerus could not settle his mind and sleep, Haman would be humbled.

Three days after her conversation with Mordecai, Queen Esther finds her way into the court of the King. While she had made a decision, action would still be required and this action could lead to death. Esther would eventually share a meal with the King and Haman. But we soon find that a place at the table is not enough for Haman, he wants more. Haman’s pride would be his undoing, and in his life, we have much to learn.

There are defining moments in our lives where we know the decision before us has vast ramifications. This is where we find Esther. All has been culminating to this moment. The girl with two names will have to decide who she really is and in whom she will trust. While our circumstances may not rival Esther’s, we are all faced with a defining moment to decide who we are and in whom we will trust.

History has a funny way of appearing in the present. Past actions have a way of showing up in ways we do not expect. Things that are not dealt with don’t disappear, they only tend to grow. In this section of Esther, we are introduced to Haman, a man who would seek to destroy all the Jewish people in the Persian empire. His bent toward destruction had deep roots of death that were never dealt with. A reminder to us that sin has deep roots that must be rooted out. But how do we deal with these roots and resist evil?