The book of Esther is rich in depth and meaning when you read it from a prophetic perspective. There are many keys to draw strength and wisdom from, as well as learning strategies on how to sustain yourself to overcome challenging times. I believe one of these powerful keys in the story of Esther is, the key of consecration and how that can help transform us from victim to victor.
“Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women.“ – Esther 2:12
Before Esther could go into the King’s presence, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments. The first six months of these treatments was having the oil of myrrh applied. Twelve months of beauty treatments may sound amazing at first glance but when you look a bit deeper, there was great meaning to what this preparation actually signified.
Myrrh: The Key of Consecration
Myrrh is a very bitter oil. It was known in biblical times as the oil of consecration. Consecration (which means set apart) can be a very lonely place, but it is often that very place of purification that prepares us for the Lord and what He is calling us to.
- It was used to anoint the tabernacle, high priests and kings.
- It was the substance mixed in the wine they offered Jesus on the cross. (Mark 15:23)
- It was one of the gifts presented to Jesus at his birth, foreshadowing what would become a bitter wrestle with death that unlocked resurrection life.
Just as myrrh is very bitter, in contrast it produces a sweet fragrance. Symbolically, myrrh speaks to how God will often use the bitter things we experience, if fully given to Him, to cause a sweet aroma to come from our lives. Myrrh speaks of total consecration to God. The bitter before the sweet. Just as flowers when crushed release their purest and strongest fragrance, so to our lives if entrusted to God when crushed, can become a strong, pure, and beautiful fragrance attracting others to the life of Christ.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” – 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
Going from Victim to Victor
Are you experiencing painful circumstances in your life where it could be easy to become bitter? Do you feel isolated or like no one really understands what you are going through? Maybe you feel unsafe to open up to others, feel unseen, or maybe even forgotten by God, Himself? If so, please know that God is not blind to your tears and your cries have not gone unnoticed by Him. I encourage you to press in for Heaven’s perspective. The very place the enemy has sought to sow bitterness and pain in your heart can become your greatest place of consecration before the Lord.
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” (Psalm 56:8 NLT)
God is not done with your story. Your pain is not too great for Him. Only His inexplicable love can heal and restore your shattered heart. Will you allow God to bring freedom and healing to your heart, transforming what was meant to be a bitter crushing into a sweet fragrance, as you go from victim to a victor?
