For Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of the British Commonwealth, life has not been without danger and intrigue, as her protective father, King George VI, hid her and her sister, Princess Margaret in Windsor Castle as bombs from the mad man Hitler rained down on London during World War II.
Feisty, strong, endearing, and enduring, she has been the staunch defender of the commonwealth all over the globe.
Her life "somewhat" mirrors another Queen we read about in the Bible in the book of Esther.
I thought of both queens as I read this poem...."God Knows What You're About". While constantly saying and referring to "man", it is a truth for ALL MANKIND -- men and women, befitting the two queens of my subject.
When God wants to drill a man
And thrill a man
And skill a man
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great, so bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed
Watch His methods/watch His ways
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects
How He hammers him and hurts him and
With mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands
How he bends but never breaks
When His good He undertakes
How He uses whom He chooses
And with every purpose fuses him
But every act induces him
To try His splendor out
God knows what He's all about!
I love the book of Esther
A great book of adventure!
10 short chapters with 167 verses
It has:
**Pomp and ceremony
**Royal protocol
** Advancement and promotion
**Despotism and greed
**Pride and deceit
**Mystery and intrigue
**Plotting and scheming
**And the irony of murder
(and you thought the Bible was boring!)
*footnote*..... as strange as it may seem, this book, though full of views of God's divine providence, does not mention God's name anywhere.
While Mordecai, early on, is the most prominent figure in Esther, his cousin Esther, (who he raised as a foster daughter), was soon thrust into the spotlight.
The events surrounding his coming to the palace are both intriguing and heart-rending.
Everybody loves a success story; a rags to riches story; and this is a great one.
In a nutshell:
** King Xerxes deposes his queen
** Esther is her chosen replacement
** Mordecai uncovers a conspiracy
** Haman plots to destroy the Jews
** Mordecai calls on Esther to intercede and this is a very dangerous act if she is not received by the fickle and capricious, Xerxes.
** Esther agrees to intercede
** The Jews are saved from destruction
** The king has Haman hanged
** Mordecai is honored and they all live happily ever after
God saves the Queen; The Queen saves her people.
The Church is...
** The body of Christ...sons of God
** A royal priesthood
But...
We are also referred to as the Bride of Christ.
Jesus sits upon the throne in Revelation and as His bride, we become his queen. As His queen, we are busily involved in saving the world from destruction. Like Esther, this journey is fraught with perils. Putting ourselves on the line for the cause of God, we become targets of the enemy, misunderstood by even those of our own households.
I have often seen the drama of the poem ~ God Knows What You're About ~ played out in my own life, as I'm sure many of you have. But if we endure to the end, our reward will be fit for a queen.
Bro. L. McCalip
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