By Beth DeCristofaro
(Queen Esther) lay prostrate upon the ground, together
with her handmaids, from morning until evening, and said: “God of Abraham, God
of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, for I am taking my life
in my hand...Save us from the hand of
our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.” (Esther C:14-15, 10)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to
you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…If you
then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. (Matthew 7:7, 11)
Piety
Study
Unfortunately we
humans know only too well how to give gifts to our children and each other that
are far from good. Even those of us who
try to do our best can be derailed by our own interior longings, insecurities,
disillusionments and inferiorities which rise up to govern our actions. It
becomes simple to expect disappointment and believe that life is threatening.
How difficult it is
then to comprehend a loving parent whose love for us is without bounds. God’s love is not mean spirited, frustrated,
manipulative, or even has strings attached.
Queen Esther believed wholeheartedly that as alone and frightened as she
was, God could and would save and also fill her with gladness and healing. God answers our knocks and our seeking. It is God’s grace that helps us recognize how
our prayers are always answered although perhaps not as requested nor as
expected.
Action
Knock. Ask for your heart’s desire and trust that
God knows what it is even better than you do.
Give thanks for what you have and give thanks in advance for what you
will receive. If heartache persists
reach out to someone else hurting and offer the love God offers you to her/him.
No comments:
Post a Comment