Mordecai knew what he should be doing, was persistent in his task and reaped success in the end.

May be the apostle Paul had Mordecai in mind when he wrote, "And let us not be weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9). We at several times find ourselves in similar situations when giving up sounds much easier than continuing. Perhaps we see our lives and duties as burdens, and we are not patient enough to allow God to work out His purpose in us.. If Mordecai had allowed the situations to destroy his will to continue, God would found another vessel to accomplish His work. How often we let go opportunities to be channels of God’s work because of wrong focus and unfounded fears. Even Peter stumbled and began to sink when he took his eyes off the Master who beckoned to him. With unwavering faith in God and confidence in his God-given abilities, Mordecai strove ungrudgingly and reaped success.

The Bible simply says that he, "sat within the king's gate" (Esther 2:19). Probably he was one of thousands of government servants in the capital city of Shushan and therefore was aware of all that was going on in the empire. God placed Moses in the court of the Pharaoh to be equipped for the task and took Daniel to an alien land to stand firm for his faith. Similarly Mordechai was placed in the vicinity of the royal court so that as an inside-outsider he can carry out the divine purpose of saving the Jews, with more accuracy and ease.

The man who was diligent in the affairs of the state was never slack in his responsibly as the guardian of the orphan Esther.Mordecai had instilled great wisdom, tact, humility and grace in her character. Esther respected and obeyed him even after she became queen. He who fears God is found worthy of respect wherever he is stationed. Only envy and jealousy blind people to the real worth as in the case of Mordecai. Haman hated him. During the course of his duties, he uncovered an assassination plot against the king and alerted Queen Esther. The king was saved but Mordecai was not rewarded for his diligence and loyalty. Though he was not rewarded he continued to work. When work is done for God one will neither be elated by praise and recognition nor be discouraged by its absence and deliberate indifference, Not only was he diligent about his work but was insistent about the role Esther should play in the course of events. When Esther seemed indifferent to the imminent disaster he told her: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Later Mordecai was rewarded and honored. It was Haman who announced, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!" (Esther 6:11). Yes, God had indeed laid out a banquet before his enemies. The king honored him because what he had done had been recorded in the chronicles of the king. The King of Kings is recording what we do for Him. Greater things will be done for the one whom the King delights to honor.

Dr. (Mrs.) Edriana Jeyasingh