In Dust, Ashes and Fasting
I'm back in Esther.
I'm thinking about how she finds herself in the king's harem, in the good graces of the king and the eunichs (not at all the life she'd imagined for herself), and suddenly getting the news that her people are slated for annihilation. Complete and total annihilation. At the behest of that snake, Haman.
I'm thinking of the despair and the hopelessness the entire Jewish population must have felt. Haman has a reputation for arrogance, ruthlessness, connivance, violence, and all-around smarminess. Xerxes has a reputation for really liking all of Haman's self-indulgent and coarse suggestions. The situation is beyond management. It's beyond reason. It's beyond hope. The Jews are DEAD. MEAT.
Unless...
Except...
There is Someone who might deign to assist...
Three days of fasting from both food and water. Three days spent crying out to the One who moves unseen and powerful. In dust, ashes and fasting. Three days with this song rolling over and over in their souls. From the bottom of the pit, they cry out.
If you find yourself in the bottom of the pit (any pit) you simply must turn up the volume on your computer and let the wailing worship begin.
I'm thinking about how she finds herself in the king's harem, in the good graces of the king and the eunichs (not at all the life she'd imagined for herself), and suddenly getting the news that her people are slated for annihilation. Complete and total annihilation. At the behest of that snake, Haman.
I'm thinking of the despair and the hopelessness the entire Jewish population must have felt. Haman has a reputation for arrogance, ruthlessness, connivance, violence, and all-around smarminess. Xerxes has a reputation for really liking all of Haman's self-indulgent and coarse suggestions. The situation is beyond management. It's beyond reason. It's beyond hope. The Jews are DEAD. MEAT.
Unless...
Except...
There is Someone who might deign to assist...
Three days of fasting from both food and water. Three days spent crying out to the One who moves unseen and powerful. In dust, ashes and fasting. Three days with this song rolling over and over in their souls. From the bottom of the pit, they cry out.
If you find yourself in the bottom of the pit (any pit) you simply must turn up the volume on your computer and let the wailing worship begin.
Labels: Esther, fasting, redemption, wailing
paper lantern of the day Wednesday, August 22, 2007
3 Comments:
As I sit at my desk alone in the office with nothing to do I can sit here and imagine a group of terrified Jews - some lying on the ground burying themselves in dirt and others dancing around them and singing, tears streaming down every face.
What an awesome (literally) picture of trust.
Thank you, Erin.
Hey, my pastor spoke on the book of Esther last night. It was great to hear him hit many of the highlights you've been hitting here -- about King Ahasuerus being a guy's guy, about him inviting Vashti into the drunken party in order to show off her sweet bod, etc. -- and I thought of you throughout!
Wow... compelling snapshot.
Post a Comment
<< Home