“And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for [what he did to save the king]?” The king’s young men…said, “Nothing has been done for him.”” – Esther 6:3

Scripture reading: Esther 6:1-13

The book of Esther is full of feasts – ten! We are in the middle of them – and in the middle of the book, which carries a turning point. Turning points are often extraordinary. However, the turning point in our passage is ordinary; Ahasuerus cannot sleep! Sleepless nights are common, but God uses this one to turn destruction into deliverance. The sleepless king reads royal chronicles, and finds out that Mordecai rescued him, but was never honoured; that would not do.

These events are not miraculous, but God makes extraordinary out of ordinary. God uses everything to serve His purposes in Christ. God weaves the events of history so that in the fullness of time He sends forth His Son, who dies for the ungodly at the right time. God uses the world’s rulers to bring Christ to the cross for the deliverance of His people. God saved through an extraordinary person, but did it with a Christ who obediently stayed on the cross, not by miraculously coming off it. Obedience can seem ordinary, but extraordinary things happen by God through ordinary obedience!

How did you come to faith? It probably was not by some Damascus-Road experience, but by ordinary circumstances. You heard the gospel through parents, or a sermon, or from another Christian. Think about your children, or your vocation. Ordinary experiences! But what makes them extraordinary is how God uses those ordinary events as extraordinary turning points in your life, so you can serve God well. God uses the ordinary for extraordinary purposes. A blessed way to look at life!

Suggestions for prayer

Pray with thanksgiving for the ways that God has turned your life around in Christ – whether by ordinary or extraordinary means. Pray that the Lord will help you to serve Him well in ordinary ways of life, for to serve the Saviour is an extraordinary calling!

Rev. John Vermeer is Pastor Emeritus of Doon United Reformed Church in Doon, Iowa and is currently living in Cedar Lake, Indiana. He has served churches in Kansas, Iowa, and Illinois over the course of 34 years. Get this devotional delivered directly to your phone each day via our RP App. This devotional is made available by the Nearer To God Devotional team, who also make available in print, for purchase, at NTGDevotional.com.