You Were Made for This Moment: A 5-Day JourneySýnishorn

THE GOD OF GREAT TURNAROUNDS

The banquet that Esther held was a great success. Haman left with a full tummy, a big head, and an invitation to attend a second banquet in one day. Life was good. He was the king’s go-to counsel and on the queen’s shortlist for dinner invitations. What could be better? 

Banquet number two was every bit as elaborate as banquet number one. The festivities eased Haman into a false sense of security. But everything soon changed when the king said, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you” (Esther 7:2). Esther finally deemed the time to be right to ask for the lives of her people. In that moment, Esther the Persian queen revealed that she was Esther the Jew. She responded, “Spare my people . . . for I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed, and annihilated” (vv. 3–4). 

What follows next is the rapid collapse of Satan’s deck of cards. Xerxes demands to know the name of the murderer. Esther identifies the king as the culprit. Xerxes storms out of the room. He is angry at Haman for playing him the fool and angry at himself for being one. Haman falls onto Esther’s couch to beg for mercy. Xerxes finds him in that position when he returns and assumes that he is groping the queen. He quickly orders Haman’s execution.

The man who wanted to kill a Jew for not falling down in his presence was caught falling down before a Jew. You have to love the ironies in this story. 

While there is more to be resolved, it is important at this point to note that our God is a just God. The wicked will not win. God is both good to us and severe in his response to evil. We can’t take one and disregard the other. The Bible is not shy on the subject. To be sure, it is right to declare God’s goodness. But it is a mistake to dismiss God’s justice. He is gracious to those who trust him but serious about punishing those who dismiss him.

For some, this is a word of caution. For others, it is a word of comfort. The Hamans of our world will not get away with their wickedness. God’s righteous indignation is on a high boil, and his call to us is straightforward: get involved! When we cry out, “God, do something!” he says, “I did . . . I created you.” Justice happens to the degree that we align ourselves with God’s hand of fairness and, like Esther, decide to take action. The day is coming when God will forever balance the scales of justice. Until then, we partner with him in the pursuit of what is right. 

Haman was now dead, but his evil plan lived on. In the Persian Empire of Esther’s day, not even the king could overturn an edict once it was set in place. Fortunately, there was a greater King at work who could undo the law. Esther once again pleaded with Xerxes to help her people, and the Lord God softened his heart. He agreed to an amendment that would allow the Jews the right to assemble and fight back. The Jews could be armed and protect themselves. 

The promise of Esther’s story is that no condition is too dark and no problem so severe that God can’t intervene, overturn and reverse the course of events. He is the God of great turnarounds! Maybe today you are facing what seems like an impossible challenge. The struggles of life have pilfered the life out of your life, and you don’t know where to turn. But I urge you, in these moments don’t give in to despair. There is too much at stake. In God’s hands, there is no script that can’t be revised according to his will and perfect plan. 

Remember that the greatest reversal of all occurred in a cemetery outside of Jerusalem some two thousand years ago. Jesus the Christ was Jesus the corpse. His enemies raised a toast to a dead Messiah. His followers were hiding in the corners of Jerusalem. Their world and their hearts were broken. It seemed the Savior of humanity couldn’t save himself. 

But then . . . just when all joy was lost, his heart began to beat. Jesus stood up and placed his heel squarely on the head of Satan. The God of great turnarounds performed his greatest work. Who is to say that he doesn’t have a reversal in your future? Choose the path of faith.

Respond 

• Where do you see a need for God’s justice in your world today?  
• How do you think God is calling you to be part of the solution? 
• What great turnaround do you pray for in your future?