In the End God Wins!
ESTHER 10:1-3; PHIL. 2:3-11
Part 1

Esther was one of the greatest women in the history of the Jewish people.
She was raised up to fill a role as the queen of Persia. During a crucial period, when so many lives hung in a balance. God raised Esther up and “she attained royalty for such a time as this (Read Esther 4:4). God uses her in a powerful way, but she does not dominate every scene of the story. It isn’t until we are well into the 2nd chapter of the book that bears her name and we read about her for the first time. As the story unfolds, she reappears from time to time for different reasons. Then she is hidden again, as she steps back into the shadows of the palace. She reenters the story toward the end as she makes a request to her husband the King (Read Esther 9:12-13). And then later as she establishes the Purim memorial (Read 9:29-32).
Esther name doesn’t appear in the closing chapter of the Book. Mordecai is prominent, and so is her husband, the King, but not Esther. Her influence continues to be felt, but that’s it! She’s gone before the final scene and she won’t be back, not even for the closing curtain call. I think it’s appropriate to mention that “the power of a woman” does not always require her physical presence. The Opry Winfrey’s Hillary Clinton’s, Bionce’ Knowles, Condeleca Rice, Holly Berry’s, and the Martha Stewarts are quite popular in our society. But Esther quietly comes on the scene, and in a reluctant way allows herself to be escorted to the palace, but never dominate in any situation after becoming queen. She does step up, when urged by Mordecai, and God used her to change the King’s thinking. And when invited to give her opinion or speak her mind, she did it with passion, integrity, strength, and dignity. Esther was a woman of strength and dignity. We can only imagine her gratitude at the end of the day after encountering her husband and later confronting Haman. We can feel the heat of her patriotism as she established Purim as a Jewish celebration. And now we witness the climax of her story, where Mordecai is acknowledged as a man of greatness (Read Esther 10: 2). Esther is smiling with true satisfaction. Why is Esther smiling? Because God is having His way! Good has triumphed over evil. Hope has conquered fear. Deep within her soul, she knows God has used her to accomplish His plan. One of the great themes of Christianity is triumphant hope. Not just hope, but triumphant hope. The kind of hope where in the end God gets the glory! In the midst of struggle and storms and suffering in life, look beyond that, and believe it, receive it, because in the end God wins! Think about it. All the trouble we’ve seen. All the financial pressures. All the emotional trauma. The physical disabilities; and the handicaps and the domestic battles. All the terror and wars. The demonic oppressions and satanic attacks.
Will soon be over, and we will be with Him who wins! And that means nothing but harmony and unity and victory and joy and praise and delight. We will be changed down on the inside. We will have new natures. We will have new minds. We will have new bodies. We will live in the joy and praise and adoration of our God.