Can’t Get No Satisfaction
But all this gives me no satisfaction… (Esther 5:13 also Esther chapters 3-5)
Can you believe that these words were uttered by a man who appeared to have it all! The funny thing about appearances is they usually are not what they seem. Appearances can be deceptive.
Haman was King Xerxes’ right hand man. The King placed his signet ring on Haman’s finger and gave him a special place of honor above all other royal officials! Kings Xerxes even issued an edict that all people honor Haman by kneeling before him. He had wealth, was popular and blessed with many friends. What more could a man want? By all indications, Haman should have been a content and fulfilled man.
Before he uttered the words of discontentment found in verse 13, he began his day “happy and in high spirits”. What had changed? Haman had allowed rage and jealousy to occupy his heart. It was “when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence” that rage entered his heart.
The Apostle Paul states in his letter to the Philippians, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Phil. 4:11-12).
Contentment was not something that came naturally to Paul. It was something he “learned.” Life’s circumstances forged contentment into the heart of Paul. It was a state of “being.” He learned that the secret of being content is not dictated by external forces but by a heart surrendered to God and His sovereignty. A heart that knows that God has your back no matter what the outcome may be.
Esther exposed Haman’s plans to kill Mordecai, and the very method he intended to use backfired and ended up killing not Mordecai, but himself! May we graduate from the school of hard knocks, learn to be truly content and be able to say as Joseph did, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, …” (Gen. 50:20). Joseph, like Paul, realized that being truly content lies in an unwavering trust in God and His promises, and in knowing, “that in ALL things (good and bad) God works for the good of those who love Him, …” (Rom. 8:28). Whatever your circumstance, rest assured that your heavenly Father is behind the scenes already at work on your behalf. Jesus is the only source of true satisfaction and complete contentment!