Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.
"Give power to a small man, and he will soon show you how small he is," - wrote one Asian columnist.
How much the world has suffered from the little people who became proud by imagining that they are something they are not. They are almost always behind the world's worst wars and conflicts. They irresponsibly play with our lives in the daily political reality. They carry out mobbing of their colleagues in the workplace. These are the local bullies and those who bully your children at school. They are perpetrators of domestic violence. In all these cases, it is about small people who have given themselves the right to shape the destiny of others, with the acquired power or the advantage of physical predispositions.
What is most troubling in such examples is that all too often, both to those who suffer and to those who watch helplessly, it appears as if God is disinterested.
We can conclude that this is not so by reading the book of Esther. God, who is not mentioned in the book, permeates every verse. How? In the Persian court full of intrigue, Haman, a complex and jealous little man, carefully devises a plan to destroy the lowly Mordecai and his people. In the denouement of the whole story, the villain Haman ends up on the gallows that were intended for the good Mordecai, and the whole nation is gloriously saved. Although not a single miracle happened in the story, God works unnoticed, in the background. This is best seen in the timing of several key events that led to the turnaround. God's timing turned out to be perfect, although, for the protagonists, it seemed until the end that help would not arrive, their faith did not die.
God will not allow injustice to go unpunished, even though it may seem that way at times. If we believe him, and if we decide to walk through this life humbly, like Christ, in due time we will see his glorious salvation. At the same time, we should examine ourselves to see if pride has not found its way into our lives.
Lord, open my eyes so that I can recognize your presence even when it seems that you are far away. Help me to keep my heart clean of pride and arrogance. Show me where I am wrong, who I have hurt, and who I should ask for forgiveness.