Esther

I always thought of myself as a queen in my “make-believe” world as a little girl. Who didn’t? I would dress up in one of my mom’s dresses, adorn my head with a paper crown, and give demands to my dolls propped up in a row. I was mesmerized when I heard the story of Esther for the first time and as I learned more about her, I understood her challenges and the danger she faced to be heralded as a Queen worthy enough to be mentioned in God’s Word.

Truly, Esther’s story is one of courage and selflessness: how someone can do something for the greater good of others even at the cost of themselves. It represents the providence of God – though He is never mentioned by name, His presence permeates throughout the story of this orphan who became a Queen.

Through her biddability she models obedience. Esther obeyed Mordecai on several occasions and accepted Hegai’s valuable advice. She followed scriptural principles from her Jewish upbringing when she entered into a fast for her people, and the whole nation followed.

Often bravery is described as the absence of fear. A far better definition is that bravery is doing what needs to be done even if it scares you. Risking her life to appear before the king without being summoned must have had her at her nerve’s end! But Esther was willing to do so for the people whom she loved. Not every day, is someone willing to die so that others could be saved. But this selfless act points immediately to Jesus who did exactly that for you and me.

Esther was not afraid to submit and humble herself before the king by weeping at his for the Hebrew nation. What a beautiful illustration of intercession! Do we weep and pray for our nation at the feet of our King?

Friend, may the obedience, bravery, selflessness, and humility of Esther be characteristics you would want to grow into as a woman of God. In the very words of Mordecai, “Who knows, maybe you were born for such a time as this?”

Written by Pastor Iriza for Women of the Word

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