By Sam Otti
One silent night, sleep eluded King Ahasuerus. He commanded that the Book of Chronicles, a historical record of the kingdom, be brought from the archives and read aloud.
Page after page, the palace scribe read until a long-forgotten entry emerged: the heroic act of a man named Mordecai, who had once saved the king’s life by exposing a conspiracy by two palace guards (see Esther 6:1–14).
“What honour and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.
“Nothing,” came the reply.
Many are like Modecai. They labour for others but are denied reward on pay day. If you had found yourself in this category, then, this message is for you.
What did Mordecai do? He went about his normal business. He bore no grudge and nursed no bitterness against the palace for failing to reward him. He did not recruit sympathisers to lampoon the king and his cronies. Instead, he returned quietly to his duties and waited for God’s appointed time.
Lesson: Wait for the Lord’s time. Be patient in expectation. Good deeds are seeds planted in the soil, they will bloom in due season. The only price to pay is patience.
Late Professor Dora Akunyili is another case study. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recounted in his autobiography, My Watch: Politics and Public Affairs, how Dora’s honesty attracted recognition. While working with the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), she had been sponsored to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. When she discovered that part of the fund paid by the PTF remained unspent, she instructed the hospital to refund it to the agency.
The hospital staff were astonished at such integrity coming from a Nigerian. They had seen other Nigerians request an inflation of their medical bills and demand the money to be remitted to their private accounts. But Dora chose to be different.
Sometimes, your defining moment comes when you chose to stand alone. Never sail with the crowd. As a Christian, people’s opinion doesn’t determine your fate. You have the pitch, so be the master of your game.
When Obasanjo heard this story, he sought to know the identity of this honest woman. That singular act opened the door to her appointment as Director-General of NAFDAC. Dora’s honesty was a seed that took years to germinate, but when it did, its fruits spread across the nation.
It is instructive to note that good people are most often targeted for humiliation and derision. It has happened many times. Mordecai’s uprightness provoked the wrath of Haman, the king’s chief adviser. For refusing to bow in servile homage, Mordecai became Haman’s target of hatred. Blinded by arrogance, Haman plotted to destroy Mordecai and the entire Jewish race. Gallows seventy-five feet high were erected beside his house, ready to hang the innocent.
Haman polluted the ears of the king with lies and hatred against the Jews. But the will of God prevailed at the end. The gallows built for Mordecai became Haman’s own death bed. Mordecai was vindicated without lifting a sword.
Power is transient. Yet, like Haman, many in authority today imagine themselves immortal. In our politics, where fair is foul and foul is fair, those in power often persecute their perceived enemies. They unleash their hounds on dissenters and imagine that the world rests on their feet. But history shows that those who exalt themselves against the righteous only dig their pit.
When unjust rulers spit fire because you stand for truth, be not afraid. As the Psalmist declares, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
Do you feel forsaken or forgotten? Remember God’s promise in Psalm 50:15: “Call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honour Me.”
If God could make a king restless for the sake of Mordecai, He can make all things work together for your good.
Think of Joseph, an innocent man cast into the prison for refusing to sleep with his master’s wife. He interpreted the dream of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and pleaded, “Remember me when it is well with you.” Yet the cupbearer forgot him for three years. But at God’s appointed time, Pharaoh dreamed a dream no one could interpret. Then the cupbearer remembered. Joseph was summoned from the dungeon to the palace. “The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord” (Proverbs 21:1).
God knows how to keep kings awake for your sake. When Daniel was thrown into the lions’ den, King Darius could not sleep. He fasted and refused entertainment all night (Daniel 6:18). Heaven does not rest when a righteous man is in distress. God avenges His own.
Beloved, your day of reward will surely come. Keep doing good even when no one notices. Persevere in good work especially when you are not remembered. I assure you that your harvest time will come soon. God honoured Mordecai; He will surely honour you.
Shalom!