How Powerful Is The Presence Of God...

Studying the encounter of Esther and King Xerxes, I was amazed at the influence the presence of God in our lives can have in an unbeliever’s life.

At first I mourned for this girl having to face such an evil man. I mean, surely, he couldn’t continue to do this every night or even multiples times a night, could he? Not that I doubted his moral depravity…but come on…endurance?? Most husbands and wives do not have sex every single night for months and months. He must have been in excellent shape. It’s unbelievable that a person could exceedingly indulge in such an activity and not have it become distasteful. The dynamics of addiction is somewhat fascinating and this was truly a pornographic endeavor that morphed into a sexual addiction. He must have craved more and more each night. How could he possibly choose just one?

Yes, there was something different the night he spent with Esther. No one knew that there was anything different about Esther as far as her heritage or upbringing went. Though she did seem to capture the favor of everyone, it wasn’t as if anyone could specifically name why, not even the king. The scripture says he liked her more, loved her more, or was pleased with her more than all the others. It doesn’t say that she was the most beautiful of all of them. It wasn’t a beauty contest or even a sexuality contest she won, even if that’s what it was originally set out to be.

You see Esther was brought up differently than all the other girls. She was taught the truth about God’s gifts…the gift of virginity, the gift of sex, the gift of marriage. She was guarded not just to keep her body pure, but to preserve her in mind and spirit as well. Yes, they were all virgins, but Esther was more than a virgin. She knew full well that when she entered into a marriage covenant, the first sexual encounter would represent a holy covenant and the Spirit of God would be present during that act. In all her years of godly training and preparation, she never dreamed that the night she had waited her whole life for would unfold in such a morally degrading fashion without even a covenantal promise. If she was refused, she would never have the honor of becoming a wife to anyone ever again.

She understood the significance of a sexual union and the impact that union has, as designed by God, on two people, and she no doubt asked God that she not be shamed in such a way as to have this precious gift grossly ripped from her and tossed to the side never to be loved again.

I believe that God showed up that night because of the heart of His servant, Esther. Because of that, the king experienced something he’d never experienced before. It wasn’t fleshly pleasure. It was definitely more than a physical attraction, certainly way more than a great personality, or a sweet heart. He experienced something different because God was with her. It was mighty and powerful…enough to rise above what the king had been hoping and expecting…his greatest sexual experience.

Nothing that we could ever experience in the physical can come close to having an encounter with God. This wicked, depraved king had an experience with God as God’s Spirit hovered over Esther that night. I’m sure he didn’t know what to call it, how to explain it, or why it happened, but it caused him to choose Esther because it was something he could not live without. That’s what the presence of God can do. He surely directed the heart of the king that night.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases. Proverbs 21:1

Written by Amie Spruiell March 2009