It was either: say nothing and perish or say something and possibly perish. Either way, the possibility of perishing was quite high. Queen Esther was facing a race against the clock in a life-or-death situation. Have you ever been in a similar position?
The story of Esther is full of intrigue and drama, it almost feels like a movie! However, even though the name of God is never mentioned throughout the whole book, His presence is evident. If you haven’t read the book of Esther, please go read it! It’s only 10 chapters long and I promise you it will keep you on your toes from start to finish!
Long story short, an orphan Jewish young lady becomes queen and an ill intentioned man close to the King pushes for the extermination of the Jewish people. Plot twist: no one in the kingdom knows that Queen Esther is Jewish, not even the King himself!
At this point, only a miracle could save Queen Esther and her people.
Here are four life lessons from the story of Esther worth taking note of:
When facing difficulties, run to God first –Esther 4:16
When Queen Esther found out about the pending doom of her people, she felt the heavy weight of responsibility on her shoulders. Who better than her to speak to the King and ask for help? Showing up to the King uninvited was not socially acceptable, in fact, it was against the law and something that could cost her life. So, when preparing to do the unthinkable, she asked her cousin Mordecai to summon all Jews, for three days of prayer and fasting. She also summoned up her maidens at the palace to do the same and said: ” if I perish, I perish!
God won’t always give you a worked-out solution for your problems –Esther 8:11
But He will give you tools!
No Medo-Persian law could be revoked. So, to help the Queen, the King published a second official letter stating that Jews were allowed to defend themselves on the day appointed for their extermination.
This second letter gave the Jews a chance at survival. But it wasn’t just “a chance”. God’s blessing was on their side, and now He had provided them with weapons to defend themselves. All they had to do was claim that blessing.
Influence matters –Esther 4:14, Esther 5:14
No matter how big or small our sphere of influence is, we can always do something nice for someone else. On the other hand, the influence that our closer circle has on us can also be determinant. It was no other than Haman’s (the man seeking to destroy the Jews) close circle who influenced his hateful decisions against the Jews that led to his own destruction.
Good always wins –Esther 7:10
In the story of Esther, it took ten chapters. In your personal life, it might take several seasons. In our human experience on this sinful earth seems like it’s taking a while, but in the end, evil shall perish and good shall prevail. Don’t trust me, trust your Bible ♥.
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