There is a custom in the Medo-Persian empire to cast lots or roll dice for fortune. This practice is like fortune telling. The role of dice fell into the twelfth month, the month of Adar (March in our Calendar). Haman proposed to King Xerxes to kill all the Jews throughout his kingdom, "There is a certain race of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire who keep themselves separate from everyone else. Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to obey the laws of the king. So it is not in the king's interest to let them live. If it please the king, issue a decree that they be destroyed, and I will give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to be deposited in the royal treasury." King Xerxes agreed and made a decree to all his officials and governors of the respective provinces to kill all the Jews—young, old, women, and children in a single day. It was scheduled on March 7 of the next year. The king's decree can never be changed (Esther 3:7-15).
When we read this story, there was no way out for the Jews to survive. The most powerful king authorized the decree, and there was no turning back. The Jews were in a hopeless and helpless situation. We were the same way before our Lord Jesus came to die for our sins. We were completely lost and no way out of our sins. No amount of good works and religious rituals could wash away our sins. Only the blood of our Lord Jesus could cleanse our sins, so Jesus had to come to rescue us from our sins with His life. The only hope of the Jews during the time of Esther was God.
We will never lose hope as believers because our God is alive and cares about us. No situation is so bad that God cannot handle it. Jesus said these words in Matthew 19:26, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." When we are in an impossible situation and feel that there is no way out, let us look up to God, our hope and help in times of need.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully and meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speaks to you). What should I do when I face a difficult situation? What does God promise me as His child? Do I trust the love of my Heavenly Father?
Write down all the worries you face today and lift them up to God.
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, you are my ultimate hope because nothing is impossible for you. Even when I feel like I'm in an impossible situation, you can still rescue me because you are a sovereign God. Please help me to look up to you and trust you completely. Please help me never lose hope, for you are always with me. In your name, Jesus, I pray, Amen.