God is Faithful

from Insight for Living by Chuck Swindoll

God is Faithful
by Charles R. Swindoll

Read Esther 2:10-20.

When God scans the earth for
potential leaders, He is not on a search for angels in the flesh. He is
certainly not looking for perfect people, since there are none. He is
searching for men and women like you and me, mere people made up of
flesh, bone, and blood. But He is also looking for certain qualities in
those people, like the qualities He found in Esther.

What did God see in Esther?
Esther sustained a continually teachable spirit. Our acute need is to
cultivate a willingness to learn and to remain teachable. Learning from
your children. Learning from your friends. Learning even from our
enemies.

Esther remains a sterling
example for women today. Some women are wonderfully gifted teachers.
You may have the ability to stand before a group and to open the
Scriptures. Others may distinguish themselves in public service. You
may be well-traveled and well-educated. But let me ask, has that
changed your teachability? Are you, like Esther, still willing to
listen and learn from others?

The Hebrew word sakal means “instructed.” The sakal person is teachable.
No matter how fast the promotion or how high the exaltation, we are
never to lose our teachability. We never reach a level where we are
above criticism or we no longer need the input of others.

Esther did what Mordecai
told her as she had done when under his care (Esther 2:10, 20). She
stood before the king for one reason: because she knew that the hand of
God was on her life, and through circumstances and Mordecai’s wisdom,
she had been brought to this place for a reason.

Remember, at this time
Esther cannot be more than twenty years old or so, and she could have
been even younger. This is the chance of a lifetime for her to have
whatever she wishes. Instead, she remains true to what she has been
taught and abides by the counsel of Mordecai, believing he knows what’s
best for her.

Esther does not succumb to
the temptation around her—the superficiality, the selfishness, the
seduction and self-centeredness. She knew who she was. She knew where
she was coming from. To use one of my favorite expressions, she had her
stuff together.

Frankly, I’m convinced that
Esther went in to the king without fear because she had no driving
ambition to be queen. Again, she knew that God’s hand was on her life.
If it was His pleasure that she be here, if it was part of His plan,
then she would willingly accept it. If not, she would willingly
relinquish it. She was modest about her own person, she was authentic,
and she was teachable.

What is God looking for? He is looking for men and women whose hearts are completely His—completely.
God gives extraordinary tasks to ordinary people to reveal His
faithfulness. Do you long to please Him in your actions? Do you care
about the motives behind your actions? Do you have a heart for God? Are
you teachable?

  Adapted from Charles R. Swindoll, Great Days with the Great Lives (Nashville, Tenn.: W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), 102, 119, 196–197.