Lenten Devotional Saturday, March 15 Read: Esther 4:14 Here I will put a plug in for the United Methodist Women’s Reading Program. Esther’s story is in one of our books in the Spiritual Growth category: Leading Ladies: Transformative Biblical Images for Women’s Leadership. Esther was a young Jewish woman whose parents had died and who had been raised by her uncle Mordecai. Competing with hundreds of other young women, she became the Queen of Persia. A nefarious politician in the king’s court, Haman, had such an ego that he arranged a slaughter of the Jews because one of them had refused to bow to him. Esther was in a position to go to the king and prevent this genocide, but she hesitated for her own safety. Mordecai warned her that if she kept silent, God would find another way to prevent this but he believed she was in her present situation to carry out God’s plan. Esther had an important message to share and a critical story to tell, but she knew the full impact could only be felt at the proper time. She understood this condition of leadership: The intercessor operates within God’s timeframe. Her wisdom was in discerning the seasons of events and waiting for God’s timing before she moved. Are we in our time and place “for such a time as this?” Nancy Luckey, District UMW Vice President Lenten Idea: Count the number of time pieces (clocks, watches, phones, etc.) in your home and put a nickel in your Lenten bank for each one. Give thanks for having the time and being in place to serve God.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 15:03:45 +0000