Pray the word with David Platt is a resource from radical. net.

Esther chapter 8 verse 16.

The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. I love this verse. So the king had declared an edict that

all the Jewish people should be killed on a certain day and suddenly that edict is reversed.

As a result of Mordecai and Esther, the king decides to reverse his edict and news starts to spread and verse 16

of esterate says the Jews had listen to these descriptors light and gladness and joy and honor.

Just put yourself in the shoes of Jewish men and women and children when they thought on a certain day they were going to die.

Just think about how dark that felt, how much despair they were experiencing.

Think about the sadness and the shame you were going to be killed for who you are

and all the sudden news comes that changes all that you go from darkness to

light you go from despair to gladness you go from sadness to joy, you go from shame to honor.

In such a way that the very next verse, Esther 817 says many peoples of the country declared themselves Jews.

Like everything changed with this good news and when I read this verse and think about the effect of that good news, I can't help

but to think about the effect of the greatest news in the world, the Gospel of Jesus

Christ, and think about how the gospel brings light in darkness and

bring gladness and despair brings joy in sadness, and honor in shame for all who trust in Jesus.

You have the light of the world living in you. No matter what you face in this world, you know that

your king has conquered sin and sorrow and suffering and death. You have gladness that supersedes despair. You have joy even in sadness because you know that one day God will wipe every tear from your eyes and

you have strength in the middle of that sadness and ultimately you do not live in the shame of sin.

Instead you live in the honor of being a child of God,

of being forgiven of all your sin,

of being clothed in righteousness.

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