Purim Joy 3-1-10

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Align my heart with Your heart, my mind with Your mind. Help me begin this day well because I begin this day seeking You and Your will. … “Haman son of Hammedatha the Agite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur—that is “the lot”—to crush and destroy them; but when Esther came before the king, he gave orders in writing that the wicked plot that he had devised against the Jews should come upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. Therefore these days are called Purim, from the word Pur” (Esther 9:24-26). Throughout the generations since the days of Esther, Mordecai, and Haman, the Jewish people celebrate the days of Purim in this season to remember how You turned all the evil and destruction intended by Haman against the Jews back on his own head. You reversed the curse and released a blessing. You took what was intended for evil and used it for good. And the days intended for their humiliation and destruction became “days of feasting and gladness” for You turned their “sorrow into gladness and (their) mourning into a holiday” (v. 9:22). You redeem all things we will entrust into Your hands; You answer our prayers of distress when we call on Your name in our time of need. You are a covenant-keeping God—mighty to save and merciful to deliver. You are never blind to the schemes of the enemy of our souls or the wicked choices formed in the minds of men led astray by their own arrogance, prejudice, and pride. One day, the spirit of Haman will stir again in the hearts of wicked men to destroy the Jewish people in a final attempt to break the covenant of God. But just as the days of Esther foreshadow and the days of Purim celebrate, You will turn that day intended for humiliation and destruction into a day of great victory and rejoicing, reversing the curse and releasing a blessing (Zechariah 14:1-21). On that day, they will look up and see You coming again as Messiah and Savior. And You will “pour out a Spirit of compassion and supplication on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that when they look on the One whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for (You) as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over (You) as one weeps over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). In their grief, they will look up and see their redemption drawing near, their Redeemer coming in great glory and power, declaring to You at last, “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:39). “And on that day, (You) will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12:9). Even today, the spirit of Haman stirs in the hearts of the nations of the earth. It brings hatred and prejudice against the Jewish people to attempt to break Your covenant. And this will only increase as the Day of the Lord approaches. Yet even as evil and darkness increase on the face of the earth, so will Your light and Your glory upon Your people even in the midst of that darkness (Isaiah 60:1-7). And no matter what may come as that day approaches, You will give us grace to keep trusting in You, believing Your Word, and praying for Your people, as we see You honor Your covenant. On the coming Day of the Lord, You will turn all that was intended for evil into good; You will break every wicked curse; and You will release Your great blessing of Your glorious Presence (Revelation 19:11-16). As in the days of Purim, we celebrate with great joy and gladness. “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10). In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Subscribe for free by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order my books and our resources on-line: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org