Connect to Greatness

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

The palace is the highest seat of governance and decision making in any nation, community or city. This explains why the palace is held in high esteem and people who work in palaces or have any form of connection to palaces carry certain airs about them even when they are not highly placed workers. There are two reasons for this – one way or the other, they are connected to the seat of power in the land and can to an extent have access to the King or his cronies. They are also able to access certain privileged information that could benefit them or people close to them.

Mordecai was one such person. Though a gateman at the palace in Shushan, his ears were close to the ground. He knew early enough about the search for a queen contest and asked his younger orphaned cousin, Esther; who lived with him to participate in the contest. Through divine intervention, she won and became queen in the land. Though this did not earn Mordecai any immediate promotion or economic or political rewards, Esther’s strategic but divine position in the land palace came in handy when the need arose. Her connection to the palace was divine, timely just as Mordecai’s connection to the palace was for her; stepping stones to greatness. While Mordecai’s connection served as entry point for Esther in paving the way for her participation in the search for a queen contest, Esther’s connection to the palace also paved the way to Mordecai’s greatness in the land as Mordecai eventually became the number two citizen in the land and together, they ensured that Haman’s evil decree to annihilate the Jews did not see the light of day.

Though Nehemiah served as cupbearer to King Xerxes, yet Nehemiah was able to request certain privileges from the King which enabled him access state resources for the rebuilding of the broken down walls of Jerusalem.  This implies that connection to the palace grants access to state resources for the achievement of divine purposes.

God is Love

 Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Power Belongs to God 2

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

So also did Sennecherib. He wanted Judah to surrender to him and threatened a siege, hunger and famine in the land if they did not. Sennecherib boasted of his exploits in annexing other nations. Unfortunately for Sennecherib, he took his boasts to the realm where he had no control. He claimed that his gods gave him the power to annex other nations and would in no time hand over Judah to him. He therefore cautioned the Judeans against heeding the advice of their King, Hezekiah. Hezekiah had advised his people to stay faithful to God and refuse to surrender to Sennecherib and his gods. Fortunately, the people of Judah listened to their King and stayed faithful to God to Whom all power belongs. Unfortunately for Sennecherib, he met a tragic end, at the hands of his two sons. They murdered him; ironically in the house of his gods while he was worshipping them.

Pharaoh had absolutely no respect for everyone. That explains why he asked Moses who God was that he should release the people of Israel from their bondage to him. Pharaoh’s subsequent arrogance in the negotiations show that he lacked respect and disdained everyone because he was Pharaoh. But Pharaoh seemed to forget something very significant – he was only a creation created by the Creator and because he was unaware; he did not for a moment consider that the Creator was the One talking to him through Moses and Aaron. His over bloated image of himself as Pharaoh who had successfully enslaved the people of Israel over a period of time; the fact that he ruled Egypt, the world power of his time; he controlled vast wealth probably made him forget that he was human, a tiny speck of blood and flesh in the vast ocean of human beings and that he could pass on any moment. After all, he was mortal.

Power Belongs to God

Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha

Haman despised and hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to him. About everyone bowed down to Haman and he had become accustomed to being so revered by everyone. It conferred great significance and importance on him irrespective of whether he was relevant to the people and if he deserved such obeisance that had become a form of worship. Whatever be the case, Haman loved the fact that the people always bowed down to him. It therefore unnerved him that Mordecai refused to do same on account of certain religious and cultural practices of the Jews.

How dare Mordecai and the Jews! And what on earth gave Mordecai and his fellow Jews the effrontery to dare think that he, Haman was undeserving of such obeisance? To say the least, Haman felt humiliated and insulted by such arrogance from Mordecai and his fellow Jews and to prove to them that he was truly deserving of such obeisance, would show Mordecai and his fellow Jews how much power he commanded and how much wealth was at his disposal to play with. Therefore, without giving it a thought, Haman paid great sums of money into the royal coffers just to get a decree signed that would bring about the annihilation of the Jews as it was far far beneath him kill only Mordecai. The Jews had to be taught the lesson of their lives so that if they had a second life on planet earth, they would learn to show respect to the Hamans of this world who cock strut about every palace and roads on planet earth.

Haman commenced celebrations after the decree was signed. He could not wait for the day to come when the Jews would be no more and he would be worshipped in the kingdom as everyone would always bow down to him. Beloved, please pause and ponder with me a while! What was Haman looking for - the healthy self-esteem which he lacked and thought he could only gain from people bowing down to him because of his position in the land and his close relationship to the King? It is said that every negative behavior is a desperate cry for help.