I recently had a situation where someone wished to harm me. They had nothing to gain from me by their actions, and the only result of their jabs at me and my family would be their own pleasure. I believe you call that malicious, or perhaps vindictive. Regardless, I called it done. Despite this person’s attempt to cause us emotional and physical harm, we were unbothered. I’ll be honest; I’m pretty sure for a few minutes I wanted to be upset and worried, but I didn’t stay in that place. Thank God, I was able to abide in His truth.
Romans 8:31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
It’s easy to become tussled by our enemies. I have met plenty of people in my life who let the devil use them to do evil, and if we allow it, the attack can not just be physical, but also mental. We can become burdened by their efforts to cause us strife, and we can forget who holds our lives in His hands. It’s ok, we all lose sight. I’ve found humans are a forgetful bunch, but last night I received a wonderful reminder of God’s goodness to us, especially when we are in great need, and I wanted to share it with you.
Have you ever read the book of Esther? It’s a short book, but packed with tons of good stuff. One thing especially stuck out to me as I read it last night. In the book, Haman is a high official to King Xerxes, and Haman decides he wants to kill a Jew by the name of Mordecai. Haman is so excited for his plan of murder he even builds a gallows by which to hang poor Mordecai. Haman is an important fellow, but Mordecai follows the one true God. So watch what God does.
King Xerxes is in bed battling insomnia and decides, out of nowhere, to read a book that keeps record of his kingdom (it does sound like good sleepy-time material). In this book he’s reminded of how a guy named Mordecai outed some bad guys who wished the king harm.
Xerxes is like, “dang. That Mordecai is a good dude. I need to honor him!”
The next day in comes Haman. He’s all pumped to tell the king about his plan to hang this fella, but the king interrupts his idea with a question of his own.
“Haman,” the king asks, “how should I honor a man who really needs accolades for his service?”
Of course, Haman thinks the king is talking about him, and full of pride he suggests a parade through the city in royal duds.
Boy was he surprised when the king said, “great idea! You drive the chariot tomorrow to honor Mordecai!”
Can you imagine his face?!
Here you have the ultimate enemy of Mordecai. He wants him dead. He plans out the details. He’s basically already dug the grave for Mordecai. But God! God had different plans. What Haman meant for harm, God turned to good. Only our God can turn a death sentence into a parade in your honor!
So, whatever enemy you face today, whatever battle you find yourself in, try and remember Mordecai. The same God who saved his life is also fighting for you! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And He loves His children with an unconditional, all-consuming love. He will move mountains for you. He can certainly handle a bit of malicious intent.
In my own situation, I am still dealing with the repercussions of my enemy’s attacks, but I am not beaten. I stand strong in what God can do. In fact, I’m excited to see how He works it all for our good.
Dorothy Jacobs says
You know, Brie, you open yourself up so often here. You share your observations & what you’ve felt & seen & sometimes learned & sometimes laughed at (or not) during your days in a truly kind spirit of sharing. You’re good people, Brie.
And you remind me to open my Bible when I’m having a messy day. Yeah, I do need reminding some days.
My first reaction upon hearing that someone (for whatever reason) tried to cause you or your family any harm is to feel my claws start to come out a bit, my back begin to arch up just a tad & a little growl start in my throat.
And you’ve taken time to once again remind me to open my Bible again when you have your own challenges.
Hmmm…Esther eh?…
Ok, so I am having issues these days with a person who has been pretty negative (only by virtue of words & actions-certainly not any real seriously dangerous or physical stuff & maybe not even worth fussing about) I’ll check out Esther again.
But for you…After reading your post, I noticed “Tagged with: enemy, faith, mercy, trust”
Almost reads like an equation.
“Enemy, Faith, Mercy, Trust”
I felt my claws retract & my spine relax a bit.
Whatever it is, I do think you’ll come out on the other side of this & be ok. You are the daughter of The Wise Strong King. He will carry you til you’re where you need to be.
Sending all good thoughts & sincere prayers for your peace & well being.
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you so much for commenting, Dorothy. You sound once again like someone I could enjoy sitting down with a cup of coffee and good conversation. Your words encourage me, and the prayers are greatly appreciated.
Dave says
People can be so mean and for no reason! So glad you are a child of the King Brie! Your writings exude your trust in the Lord and bolster us who read them! I had a man that had it in for me when I worked at Disney! We were equals as hourly workers at the beginning and he didn’t like me then! He always boasted he was moving up no matter who he had to step on and he eventually did move up and I happened to be under him as I moved up too into management but he was a level above me! Long story short, some carpenters filed grievance on him and they won with the union! The two carpenters were on my crew! Well, he called me in wanting to punish them by putting them on the worst rehabs going so they would feel the Florida heat for awhile! I refused but knowing he had the authority to overrule me and do it anyway I decided I would call his bluff and go to the top man at WDW Florida and expose him! He backed off his plan but I knew I was a marked man and when layoff came I was picked to go but through a praying wife I was back and in my same position within a few months fully restored in seniority and went on to be awarded a few years later with the top award any Disney cast member could receive and that being the The Cast Excellence Award! God honors his children and just like Mordecai you and I can praise God for loving us so much!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Yes! God is faithful!
Lisa Pierce says
Dave, I just wanted to say thanks for your comments. I always enjoy reading them. Congratulations on that award. I’m sure you earned it.
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
And I adore both of you!
Lisa Pierce says
❤
Lisa Pierce says
I love the Book of Esther. There’s so many valuable lessons there.
Haman was a bad dude as you said, and Mordecai wanted to save his people. Mordecai is a great example for us.
I stand with you in God’s truth. He is already working on the outcome and I know it will work out for your good and His glory. I’ll be praying about this along with my regular prayer for your family. Please let us know when this is resolved.
Hang in there kiddo, you and God have got this!
brieann.rn@gmail.com says
Thank you so much ?