“And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.” Esther 5:9
You can tell the size of a man by the things that irritate him. If it only takes little things to perturb him, he is small in character. If it takes something big to rile him, he is a big man indeed. As followers of Christ walk in this dark world, we are exposed. More specifically, the joy that we derive from Jesus is exposed. If we are to truly be lights for Christ, there is no other way, our joyful lights must be placed upon a lampstand, not under a basket. Yet as we do expose our joyful light to the world daily, there is a question that must be addressed…what touches your joy? What is it that can reach into your heart and steal your joy and rob you of your peace? Is it big or little?
In Esther chapter 5 we see that God’s providence continues to be mightily at work. King Xerxes has appointed evil Haman as his Prime Minister and the simple act of Mordecai refusing to bow to him has caused him to declare a kingdom wide edict that will kill each and every Israelite. Since God has placed Esther as the new queen, she prepares to confront the king with the injustice. As she butters him up with a huge banquet, she invites Haman as well. We see that Haman in his prideful oblivion to the setup, leaves the banquet as high as a kite. He has just been the private guest of the king and queen of the largest empire on the planet Earth. Haman the great, at least in his own mind. His pride is swelled, His self-worth is brimming…until. Until he passes Moredcai at the city gate...standing tall. The mere sight of a man that refuses to bow to him steals his joy in a blink. As his eyes fix on Mordecai, the prideful joy that was carrying him high, easily escapes him and leaves him in the lows of rage, anger, and wrath.
Today, how volatile is your joy? As you experience and absorb the joy of the Lord from your daily time studying His Word, how easy is it for the world to take it back? As you reap joy from God’s Holy Spirit through daily prayer time with Him, is it the little things of life that can steal it away? You see, to his folly, Haman was looking to the world to create and maintain his joy, a recipe that will always fall flat. As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, our joy is not of this world, it originates and is made complete in Him. Our joy lies in the arms of Christ, to let it be easily taken by this world is a travesty to the originator. Refuse to let your joy today be volatile in the face of adversity. Stand firm in the joy of the Lord and walk securely in knowing that it flows from Him, not your circumstances.
“But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” Malachi 4:2
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