Esther 2:5 (NKJV): In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair...
Mordecai was the one man who actually paved the way for Esther to become queen and eventually, Israel's great deliverance. It didn't begin too well for him though, but in the end, the Lord turned things around for him and promoted him greatly. In the last chapter of the book of Esther, the Word of God says, 'the king advanced him (Mordecai)' and 'Mordecai the Jew was second to the king (Ahasuerus) and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren' (see Esther 10:2-3).
By the way, the name 'Mordecai' shares the same Hebrew root word as 'murdaph' (which means 'persecuted') and 'radaph' (which means 'to be hunted after, or to be chased with hostile intent'). And the word 'Jair' (pronounced 'Yair' in Hebrew) which means 'Enlightener' is from the root word 'owr' (meaning 'light'). This word 'owr' here is the same as in Isaiah 60:1 that says, 'Arise, shine, for your light ('owr') has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you'.
You see, it doesn't mean when your 'light' has come (or if you have the 'light'), you will have no 'persecution' on earth. The 'enemy' for one will not like it, and therefore will try to 'strike' first. Just look at Jesus Himself. Right after 'the Spirit of the Lord came upon Him and anointed Him', and just as He was about to begin His earthly ministry, there were already people who wanted to kill Him! (see Luke 4:18-29) The same it was with Paul (the foremost preacher of the gospel of grace). Not long after the great light experience, 'persecution' followed rather quickly too! (see Acts 9:3-4, Acts 13:47-50)
But fear not! Because you are on His side, and you are in the 'light'! Jesus is your true 'Light' (John 1:9). When the 'light' comes, darkness has no choice but to flee! As a matter of fact, 'light' always has authority over 'darkness'. The 'enemy' may have a big 'roar', but unlike the Lion of Judah, he is nothing but a 'toothless lion'! (Psalm 3:7) In other words, he may try to 'scare' you, but he cannot hurt you. Luke 10:19 promises, 'Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you'. See the word 'nothing' here? 'No thing'! 'Nothing whatsoever' can hurt you! In fact, more often than not, your 'promotion' is also coming your way! The glory of the Lord will be seen upon you! There will be an increase in anointing! There will even be promotion in the physical realm!
Matthew 5:10-12 says, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." These were the words of Jesus Himself.
Note: Having written the above, I'm not implying that you ask for persecution. Far from it! However, if persecution arises (especially when the Lord has called you to embark on something unprecedented, to break new ground for Him, or to stand firmly on His 'blueprint' for your life/ministry), God will back you up and He will also give you the wisdom to handle it. Amen.
For Mordecai, it all began when 'all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman... But he (Mordecai) would not bow and pay homage. When Haman saw that he (Mordecai) did not bow or pay homage, Haman was filled with wrath... and he sought to destroy all the Jews (i.e. God's people) who were throughout the whole kingdom of (king) Ahasuerus' (see Esther 3:2-6). Interestingly, the name 'Haman' comes from the same Hebrew root word 'Hamam', which means 'to put in commotion, to disturb, to break, to trouble'. But God! Things turned around miraculously and quickly within just one day, and the decree to destroy, kill, and annihilate God's people was reversed! In short, the exact opposite happened! (see Esther 8:1-17) God is great!
Recently, the Lord released these words during a time of worship and prayer:
"I am sending new rain! I am sending new rain that makes all things new; that takes away shame!"
People of God, have you been 'persecuted' in any way for righteousness' sake recently? Or maybe you have been unfairly judged (or spoken ill of) by someone in your workplace (or circle of friends) just because you chose to stand firmly on God's ground. Whatever your 'persecution' may be, take heart, for God is not dead, but He is still very much alive in your situation. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), and He can also turn things around for you and make a way out for you (even in the most impossible of situations), just as He did for Mordecai. Yes, indeed, His new rain has come upon you. Receive by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.
