Esther 1:4 – 8 “For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty. When the days were over, the king gave a banquet, lasting seven days, in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace, for all the people from the least to the greatest, who were in the citadel of Susa. The garden had hangings of white and blue linen, fastened with cords of white linen and purple material to silver rings on marble pillars. There were couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and other costly stones. Wine was served in goblets of gold, each one different from the other, and the royal wine was abundant, in keeping with the king’s liberality. By the king’s command each guest was allowed to drink in his own way, for the king instructed all the wine stewards to serve each man what he wished.”
Hollywood, step aside. With all your glitz and glamour, you can’t even begin to compare to King Xerxes. You’ve heard the saying, “All that glitters is not gold”? Well, in this case, it really was gold!
King Xerxes was so wealthy that he could afford to have a massive party which lasted for six months. He housed probably more than a thousand people. He provided a never-ending smorgasbord, and all the alcohol anyone cared to drink, served in one-of-a-kind gold goblets. They lounged about on gold and silver couches. One twelve-inch section of the floor was probably more valuable than the house I currently live in.
During the final week of this vast display, Xerxes decided to step it up a notch. He invited all of the people in the city of Susa to join them! I have difficulty even wrapping my mind around such wealth. I can’t imagine such affluence.
So, my question is this: if Xerxes was so wealthy, and so powerful, why did he need more? Why did he feel the need to go to war, to sacrifice the lives of his own people, just so he could count Greece among his provinces? What more could he possibly gain?
The answer is simple, really. It’s called human nature. We are designed with a hole in our lives, that needs to be filled. And many people, just like Xerxes, spend their entire lives trying to fill it. They chase one dream, one goal after another, thinking that when they fulfill that dream or that goal, they themselves will be fulfilled.
But it doesn’t work that way. The only thing that can fill up that emptiness in our lives is God. He designed us that way. He loves us, and He longs for a relationship with us. So He made us in such a way that we would seek Him.
But Xerxes was confused. And many, many people today are just as confused. They need God, but either they don’t know they need Him, or they just flat out don’t want Him. And they try to fix the hole. But filling up the hole in our lives with anything but God is like filling up a pot hole in the street with mud. It will just wash away, and the hole will still be there.
Do you feel empty, my friend? God can fill you up. He will fill up your heart and your life with more abundance than you ever dreamed possible. And His abundance is the kind that stays. He is the only One who will satisfy You.
John 10:10b “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Dear Father, Thank You for the abundant life You give to those who love You.
Amen
Wonderful post, Renae! (As usual!)
Riches don ‘t satisfy.Moth and rusrt corrupt them and one gets tired of one ‘s possesions.I got this from my devotional this morning written by Dr Martyn Llyod Jones
God bless
Thanks, Jeanette and Amrita! A, you are right. No matter how much we have, we get tired of it. But we’ll never get tired of God, for He is full of wonderful surprises!
At my Thursday night prayer group we always say a prayer which includes these words:
‘Lord, we pray tonight for all mankind –
For the good and for the bad,
For the believer and the unbeliever,
For those who are trying to find you
And for those who are trying to ignore you’
Many people fall into those last two categories, as you say.
I’ll e-mail you the whole prayer – it really is beautiful and covers everybody!
xx
That is beautiful, Jackie. Thanks for sharing it. I can’t wait to read the whole thing!
I try my best to operate on God’s steam and not my own. I find when I am feeling the most empty, it’s because I am trying to do it myself and steal the glory from God.
Awesome post, Renae!!
Thanks, Sarah. I think we all are guilty of that from time to time!