Dress for success! (Esther 5)

Dress for success! (Esther 5)

Esther 5.1-2 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight... [nkjv]

In June 2008, while filming in Rome, Tom Hanks halted the production of his new film 'Angels & Demons' to rush to the aid of an Australian bride stuck in traffic. Natalia Dearnley, a 28 year old Sales and Marketing Manager, was on her way to her wedding ceremony inside the historic Pantheon when the incident occurred. Noticing that the roads were clogged with film production vehicles and tourists, Hanks yelled 'cut' and then rushed to her aid. With the help of his large security detail, he ushered the bride through the cheering crowd and into the Pantheon, where an anxious groom was waiting.

I'm sure there were many caught in the chaos that day who had pressing engagements elsewhere but Hanks only chose to come to the assistance of just one. Dressed in her beautiful white wedding gown, Natalia stood out from the rest of the crowd simply because of what she was wearing.

What she was wearing said a lot about who she was and where she was headed!

It got me thinking, what does what I wear say about me?

Just so we're clear, I'm not referring to clothes.

In chapter 4, Queen Esther came to the realisation that she had been brought into the kingdom for such a time as this. Now in chapter 5, she begins to dress herself accordingly, to win the favour of the king and save her people.

I really believe that God has a purpose for my life. I have been born for such a time as this. The question then is, "what am I dressing myself in to stand before the king?"

We have been given a robe of righteousness. A garment of praise. A belt of truth. Peace. Salvation. Love. Do I clothe myself in these to carry out His purposes or do I settle for something less? If I really believe that God has a purpose for my life, the degree of that belief will be evidenced by not only what I wear but also the time I allow to get ready.

Ask any bride, it takes time to get ready on your wedding day. I am sure Esther took time to prepare herself to come before the king and I know to carry out God's purposes for my life will take time as well. Preparation.

Maybe I need to give more time to His Word, or in prayer. Maybe I need to surround my life with people who will encourage me onward and upward. Maybe I need to do a course, learn a skill, study, train. Maybe I need to put my hand up to do the jobs nobody else wants to do so God can develop my character.

At the end of the day I need to make sure I dress for where I'm going, not for where I've been.