Now is Not Forever
“Now is not forever.” I can still see my grandmother’s handwriting, splotched on the page by her favorite ballpoint pen. I had just received her letter during my own struggle with mental health. I had lost faith in God’s forgiveness and had isolated myself from my faith community. In response to my letter outlining the despair and doubt that had overtaken my faith, my grandmother replied in her typical candor, “Remember, now is not forever.”
While I did not realize it then, these words would remind me in many situations that life has its rhythms and seasons. While sorrow may last for the night, joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). There is a time for mourning and a time for dancing (Ecclesiastes 3:4b). Sometimes burning precedes beauty rising from the ashes (Isaiah 61:3). We see this cycle of life in the Book of Esther through the alternation between times of feasting and times of fasting:
King Xerxes’ feast displaying the glorious wealth of the kingdom which ended with the deposition of Queen Vashti (1:3).
Esther’s special diet—her fasting of certain foods—for an entire year to prepare her to meet the king (2:9,12).
King Xerxes’ feast for his officials to celebrate choosing his favored queen, Esther (2:18).
The Jews’ response to the king’s edict for their destruction with fasting and lamentation (4:3).
Esther’s entreaty for the Jews to fast with her before she risks her life going before the king (4:16).
Esther’s invitation to a feast to seek the king’s intervention in Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews (5:4, 8).
The Jews’ feasting when the edict of their salvation reaches them (8:17).
The pattern of fasting and feasting that has marked Esther’s entire story culminates with the command to remember their deliverance by practicing the Festival of Purim (Esther 9:17). On the thirteenth day of Jewish month of Adar, the Jews would fast as Esther did before approaching the king (9:31). Then the fourteenth day of Adar, they would celebrate a holiday of happiness, banqueting, and sending gifts to each other (9:19). They would observe these two days once a year according to “the way prescribed and at the time appointed” (9:27). This custom reminded them of the day when their sorrow turned to joy and their mourning to celebration (9:22).
For generations, Jews have continued to celebrate the rhythm of life through the fasting and feasting of Purim. This cadence of fasting then feasting, according to its appointed time, reminds us that now is not forever. There is a time for fasting—for mourning and lamentation, for desperately seeking the Lord in prayer, and even for despairing. There is also time for feasting—for celebration and gratitude, for over-the-top gift-giving, and for exuberant happiness. Both feasting and fasting equally reach their end. We cannot cling to the now that is changing, but we can find an unchanging God at work in the present.
By learning to practice God’s presence—both on our own and in community—we discover new aspects of God’s character in every season of life. In times of fasting, diverting our attention from our lack frees us to pursue God’s provision. While we may be suffering, we are not suffering alone; our community can support us in preparation for the next season. As in Esther’s story, we may even be God’s provision for our community since He has placed us in this season “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). In times of feasting, giving away the excess, instead of hoarding, frees us to practice God’s generosity. When we distribute the abundance, we realize how much more we have to celebrate in the community around us.
The Feast of Purim is about remembering and rehearsing what God has done for His people. We can reclaim this act of remembrance in the rhythms of fasting and feasting today. In fasting, we remember the darkness and despair of the endless search for fulfillment before we found Christ. We are shaped by that darkness into a more faithful obedience, as Jesus was by the suffering He faced (Hebrews 5:8). In feasting, we remember His salvation as if it were brand new. We rejoice over all God has done for us, revel in His abundance, and allow it to overflow into our community. And in rehearsing these truths of God’s goodness through these rhythms of life, we remember that God sustains us through every season. He is an eternally secure refuge, even if now is not forever.
Questions for Reflection
What kind of season am I in now? How can I rehearse God’s goodness in it?
How can I share my experiences in this season with my community?
How can I prepare for an upcoming season change?
