This post is all about a woman in the Bible named Esther and the lessons we can learn from her bravery and faithfulness.
I'm going to very quickly summarize her story and then focus more on the lessons we can gather from it. In Esther chapter 1, we read that King Xerxes finds himself wifeless and on the search for a new one. After some time of "readying" the available candidates, the king is presented each woman, one by one. Once it was Esther's turn to meet the king, it didn't take long for her to win him over and therefore become the new queen. We won't go deep into Esther's past but it is important to know that she was an orphan of Jewish heritage. This made her an unlikely choice, but as you can guess, God's plan is bigger than our past or man's ways.
After she becomes queen, one of the king's advisors, Haman, gets a little cocky and starts demanding the king's servants to bow down to him. When a man named Mordecai refuses, Haman takes it personally. He finds out Mordecai is a Jew and creates a plan to exterminate the Jewish people in consequence of his refusal. Mordecai tells Esther and pleads for her to do something, especially considering her Jewish background. It is also very important to note that in this time, coming to the king uninvited lead to the penalty of death. Even so, she was willing to take the risk in order to do the right thing and save many people. The king spares her and in the end, helps save the Jewish people.
"When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: 'Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?'"
Esther 4:12-14
Throughout the book of Esther, she demonstrates both bravery and faithfulness. Regardless of the grave foreseeable consequences, Esther is willing to fulfill the Lord's plan for her. Because of this bravery, people's lives were spared. God used Esther, an unlikely character, to accomplish His will and she continued to stay faithful to Him through it all.
Esther's story can teach us so much. Here are a few lessons I see:
1. The Lord has a unique plan for each of us that may look completely different than the person next to us. Never let your beginning make you doubt your purpose.
2. His strength, not ours, is what we need to rely on during trying times. We can not do it on our own, but when we lean on Him, He answers.
3. God is with us and is moving even when we don't see it. God will not abandon you and He has a plan.
4. We can trust God and His plan during times of uncertainty and doubt. The enemy loves to use times of hardship as an opportunity cloud our vision of the Lord's goodness. But we know we can trust Him, even when we are unsure how things will play out.
5. Being a true servant to others is honorable to God. Esther put her life on the line for other's and she was rewarded for doing so.
My prayer for you this week:
God, thank you for every person reading this! Thank you for their life and that you have a purpose and a plan for them. Thank you for using us even when we feel unqualified and unworthy. God, we know you are good and faithful and worthy to be praised and we are so thankful for your character. We love you so much and we love seeing your works throughout stories such as Esther's. Please help us learn to trust you and depend on you in all seasons and trials of life. Amen!