She [Esther] sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. Esther 4:4
Mordecai refused to bow down to a false god and now the Israelites were in danger of the king’s unjust wrath. So, Mordecai was in mourning for his people. As a Jew, he went through the ceremony of ripping his clothes and trading them for sackcloth and ashes. Esther sent him clothes so he would stop mourning, but he refused them. So what?, you might ask.
Esther would end up offering salvation, she would put her own life on the line to save her people. But Mordecai was too busy wallowing in his “life is unfair” mode to see that at first. That in itself is a lesson.
Has there been a time that you have done what was right, only to have everything else go wrong? How did you cry out to God? Did you question why your faithfulness had not be rewarded? Why calamity came, or hard times, or divorce or death banged on your door anyway no matter how hard and long you prayed and did the right thing?
A friend sent me an email quote – God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage. True enough. But keeping with that theme, during the passage He also provides a flight attendant who brings snacks and drinks, and if needed, an oxygen mask and flotation device. He provides the pilot to steer through the rough weather. But often we are not in the mindset to accept these gifts of mercy.We are concentrating so hard on the rough weather, we forget these other things are there. We stay in our sackcloth and refuse the new clothes.
If you are in a tough spot, keep an eye out for the caring and faitnful Esthers in your life. Accept what they are offering as a gift from God working through them. It may not be the big answer, but a small comfort to let you know God has heard your prayers.
It’s okay to receive what they offer. One day you may need to be an Esther to them.
