Charity Autry, Member since 2008, Sunday School Leader, VBS Chair, Adverse to Change and Risk

Esther 4:11-14

11” All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law; that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” 12When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 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. 14For 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?

 Reflection: 

The book of Esther has so many juicy details. I highly recommend reading it! Esther is one of two books in the bible named after women, the other being Ruth. So, Esther must be an important character in our story. The book of Esther reads as an exhilarating story of good vs. evil. Esther was a beautiful young woman who found the eye of King Xerxes and he made her his queen. 

Esther’s calling comes when her cousin, Mordecai, tells her that an associate of the king, Haman (he is a whole other biblical study about greed, power, and racism) has called for the death of all Jews due to his hatred of Mordecai. Knowing Esther is queen he reaches out to her to save the Jewish people. In Esther’s time, approximately 470 B.C., she was part of harem and would not have had direct access to the king unless he called upon her (Esther 4:11). She knew she didn’t have a choice if she wanted to save her people. Esther had beauty, security, and wealth, but she put all of this on the line, she could have been killed for being so brazen. She says, “…I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (4:16). Esther is willing to die for her people. 

Long story short, the king grants her request and saves the Jewish people. Yay! Go read the rest of the story to see what happens to Haram, I have a word limit here! 

What we learn in this story is even though God is not mentioned once, God’s people have been set up for success. God gave Esther courage to be able to persuade the king to listen to her. God gave Mordecai leadership skills to guide Esther. They both had true faith in God. We can pray to God, but God also wants us to act.

Like many, my husband was laid off months ago. We live in this balance between staying patient, praying, listening, and waiting but also working to move forward. There may be a decision for me to return to work after a hiatus of raising kids. As we pray to God for direction, we are also moving forward with the knowledge that God is with us and is guiding us. We may have to take risks, but I know God is present. We can all work and plan based on God’s words, then trust and obey. If Esther can risk her life to save a nation, we can take risks to help my family. We can step out of our comfort zones and face the challenges before us. Don’t put off those difficult decisions, pray, prepare, and then 3…2…1, action! 

Prayer:  Thank you God for giving us the biblical heroes Esther and Mordecai. We pray we use our God given characteristics and talents to serve you in this world. We pray to use these gifts and always have faith in your plan.  Amen.