"What Shall Be Done for the Man Whom the King Delights to Honor?"

So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then parade him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’” So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!” Esther 6:6-11 

Pastor James Kwiah and Mark

Sometimes my life is really crazy. Our house is not just our home, but also the Baptist Mid-Missions' Liberia office and a center for our hospitality ministry. And I love it! Or, I should say, I love it between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

However, life happens. Daily. And one of the ways life often happened is that Pastor James Kwiah, whom we had known since 1986, would arrive for a visit from the interior of the country, often with either a Bible school student or another pastor with him. Because the road was so difficult and the journey so long, they would arrive, well after dark, exhausted and very hungry. And I was their hope. Having not eaten anything either warm or solid all day, they were depending on me to come up with something.

One evening at about 10:00 we received a call that Pastor Kwiah would be arriving with several others in about an hour. While this wasn't a surprise—I had known they were arriving that day—I was, nevertheless, feeling a bit sorry for myself that I had to feed several people a full meal at that late hour.

Just then, very unexpectedly, a Bible verse from the book of Esther ran through my mind. "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?" It was so random that I was stopped in my tracks. But after I thought a moment I knew what I was supposed to do. Pastor Kwiah was a very sweet, humble, Godly man, and God wanted him honored. Since God Himself does not reach down and prepare food and do other such things to honor people, I was to do that for Him. I was to be His human instrument.

Well, now I knew where I was supposed to be going with this! If I were to honor Pastor Kwiah and his friends I knew the table should be set very nicely—cloth and all. The food should not only taste great, but also be piping hot and include very generous portions. I should not just serve water, but offer Cokes over ice as well. And of course I was to do it all with a genuine smile and an overflowing, happy heart.

So I did. And it was almost magical the delight it was to serve them when I grasped the greater purpose for it. I was not just filling stomachs, I had actually been entrusted with the job of honoring these men in God's stead.

Although I can no longer honor Pastor Kwiah this way—he has gone on to heaven—this verse has stayed with me and sustained me through many a late night meal. And I found the principle works for family as well as guests. Very often I remember and find extremely motivating the question of a king, "What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?"

See The Lowest Servant in the Room.

See No Longer Playing the Part of the Martyr.