Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.

Esther 4:14 (Message)

Has there ever been a time in your life when you were challenged to follow God’s direction while walking step by step into the unknown?

 “Going out on a limb,” could be an appropriate cliché to describe the Biblical character, Esther.

Esther’s life portrayed a simple truth spoken by another young woman God chose for a great cause. Mary, the Mother of Jesus who said, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”(Luke 1:37 NIV)

Esther’s story remains a classic example of a teenager who was chosen by God to be so brave that the whole Jewish nation was saved because she spoke up!—to a king!

God apparently created Esther’s face and form to as the epitome of exquisite beauty to the human eye. She was an orphan child raised by Mordecai, a cousin, who adopted her after her parents died in Jerusalem. Mordecai was a wise and humble man devoted to God and loved Esther as his own child. (Esther 2:5-7 NIV)

During this time, King Xerxes’ wife, Queen Vashti, disobeyed and humiliated him by not attending a lavish banquet. Enraged by her disrespect, the king stripped her of her crown and began the quest for a new queen.

Similar to the Cinderella story, the king was advised by his young attendants to search for beautiful young virgins for the king to be groomed for over one year so that they would appear their best for the king for his selection of a new queen.  (Esther 2:1-4 Message)

Because Esther’s appearance caught the King’s eye, she was eventually crowned queen. But during all of this time, Esther obeyed Mordecai’s strong warning not to reveal her Jewish ethnicity.

Eventually, an evil plot to kill all of the Jewish people throughout the kingdom was discovered and squashed because Queen Esther had the courage to speak truth to King Xerxes.

Most fairy tales would end here, but the story of Mordecai and Esther is just the beginning of a story of courage and obedience to God for the greater good of a whole nation. Because of Mordecai’s guidance and Esther’s faithfulness, she eventually convinced the king to honor the Jewish people living in 127 provinces from India to Cush by granting them the right to gather and protect themselves and live in freedom.

Unfortunately, unlike Esther, Christ followers today sometimes lack the courage to be part of God’s Kingdom work until they first understand the outcome. We become stagnant in our faith when we say, “I am waiting for God’s plan to be revealed to me before I commit.”

Has God asked you to do something which requires great courage? Are you following God with your whole heart, even if you don’t know the final outcome? You may not be asked to save a whole nation, but God may have chosen you to fulfill one part of His ultimate plan.

Even in her youth, Esther lived by faith and contributed to God’s Kingdom purpose. God’s favor, in turn, was granted to Esther—enough, in fact, to honor her courage and faithfulness with an entire Book of the Old Testament.

Reflection in Prayer:

God, grant me courage to follow you without knowing all of the answers first. Show me direction toward your Kingdom Purpose that you have chosen for me.

Jill Hendrix