We’ve been studying Esther at church.  This week the pastor is honing in on 4:13-14:

Last week the message was about “who are you listening to” (https://vimeo.com/119451117).   No idea what this week will bring, but for me there was a common theme in my readings and musings.  It was a week where I thought a lot about what to do when you are faced with being between a rock and a hard place.   What do we do when are faced with though battles, hard circumstance, the untimely death of a child, the lingering disabilities from a sickness or trauma, or just flat out stress … ?

My quest to read through the Bible in six months landed me in 2 Samuel 10 this week.  At this point David’s sin nature is showing more and more.  No longer is he praying before every battle, asking for the Lord’s advise.  No longer is he even riding out to battle, lead his army.  So it fell on Joab to figure out what to do when the troops found themselves surrounded by enemies on both sides.  Not exactly a tactically advantageous position!  Joab made as good of a tactical plan as he could, and shared these words of encouragement (v 12), “Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” In other words, we’ve done all we can, now lets proceed and leave the results in God’s hands (this is not “let go and let God” theology at work).  

Courage.  You can’t read the story of the baton of leadership passing between Moses and Joshua without picking up the need for courage.  It’s something oft repeated as God’s people face battle after battle to conquer the promised land.  It’s something Esther and Mordecai needed as they faced annihilation.  It’s something we need as we press into the hard places of God’s will.

I was reminded of something Stan Farmer, founder of His Mansion, shared during the first class those serving at the recovery ministry had to take.  He used the illustration of Jesus raising Lazarus form the dead as a picture of what ministry is.  The main point of the illustration can be seen in John 11:38-44.  The point was this:  God does miracles.  As we minister, we get the privilege of seeing the miracles up close.  Sometimes that means doing things that might not make much sense to others (Martha just reminded Jesus that Lazarus was already dead for four days and a less than pleasant smell would have emanated from the tomb).  Sometimes it means risking comfort or position or facing  scary things, or might even mean breaking some “rules” (the disciples would have made themselves unclean by touching the death shroud).   Greater than the freak factor of touching a zombie (please pass the disinfectant), would be discovering the very-much-alive Lazarus despite having been buried four days before.  For me it’s a powerful image of ministry, and of stepping into places where courage is necessary.  Ultimately the risk is worth the reward.

Jim Elliot, one of the martyrs whose story was retold in “At the end of the Spear”, is noted as having said, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”   I think Esther realized that, and it gave her courage.

Hebrews was written to a group of believers who have been facing persecution.   At the end of chapter 10 in verse 38 the author writes, “But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.”  The author goes on to say that faith is not about what we can see.  It is about acting on the very things we say we believe.  It’s about not fearing being between a rock and a hard place, and taking refuge in the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).

How are you doing between your rock and a hard place?