obedience like Esther
"...For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, "Go, father all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish."
Esther 4:12-16
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Esther placed herself in a position where her actions could've lead to her death.
But she didn't arrive at this place of great faith without someone having to speak the truth to her. Despite the harsh and hard words, Mordecai reminded Esther of her people's dire circumstances. There was no other hope. Esther appealing to the king was the only way out.
And in a remarkable test of faith and obedience, Esther chose to obey.
Defying her own flesh and self-preservation, she chose to go the dangerous path, placed her neck on the line, in order to find deliverance not just for herself, but for her people.
I think there's two things I draw from this very powerful passage.
1. Obedience is never easy, but it is woven into our lives as Christians.
As people of God, we are called to push back what is dark and evil. Yet, this very act will be met with a lot of hardship and pushback. The call to obey this type of direction will therefore never lead to an "easy" solution. Nevertheless, obedience is consistently a theme seen in scripture. Obeying God in the difficult-to-do-things is especially unappealing when there seems to be more downside than reward. But the interesting thing about obedience is that it directly connects our experience with the goodness of God, and His ultimate provision. Esther obeyed what needed to be done I would suspect, because she came to a point where her life, being placed in God's merciful hands, was enough for her.
2. We don't always get this "obedience" thing right away. Sometimes, we need to have people spell it out for us.
Mordecai says something profound that resonates with me today - "...And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
He is basically saying, "Esther, what if God placed you in this situation as queen, not because you earned it or deserved it, but for this very reason? What if God's will was for you to be queen for the sake of saving our people?"
As we get placed in higher leadership positions, or whether we are serving in the mundane and meager settings, we must remind ourselves that timing is up to the Lord. We must be careful not to see our high position as something that we brought upon ourselves, and in the same way we must be wise not to see our seemingly "low" position as excuse for us to be lax and do nothing.
In all things, God has called us to obey His word, for His glory and fame to be known.
Serving God is not a right, but a privilege we have received.
Esther 4:12-16
---
Esther placed herself in a position where her actions could've lead to her death.
But she didn't arrive at this place of great faith without someone having to speak the truth to her. Despite the harsh and hard words, Mordecai reminded Esther of her people's dire circumstances. There was no other hope. Esther appealing to the king was the only way out.
And in a remarkable test of faith and obedience, Esther chose to obey.
Defying her own flesh and self-preservation, she chose to go the dangerous path, placed her neck on the line, in order to find deliverance not just for herself, but for her people.
I think there's two things I draw from this very powerful passage.
1. Obedience is never easy, but it is woven into our lives as Christians.
As people of God, we are called to push back what is dark and evil. Yet, this very act will be met with a lot of hardship and pushback. The call to obey this type of direction will therefore never lead to an "easy" solution. Nevertheless, obedience is consistently a theme seen in scripture. Obeying God in the difficult-to-do-things is especially unappealing when there seems to be more downside than reward. But the interesting thing about obedience is that it directly connects our experience with the goodness of God, and His ultimate provision. Esther obeyed what needed to be done I would suspect, because she came to a point where her life, being placed in God's merciful hands, was enough for her.
2. We don't always get this "obedience" thing right away. Sometimes, we need to have people spell it out for us.
Mordecai says something profound that resonates with me today - "...And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
He is basically saying, "Esther, what if God placed you in this situation as queen, not because you earned it or deserved it, but for this very reason? What if God's will was for you to be queen for the sake of saving our people?"
As we get placed in higher leadership positions, or whether we are serving in the mundane and meager settings, we must remind ourselves that timing is up to the Lord. We must be careful not to see our high position as something that we brought upon ourselves, and in the same way we must be wise not to see our seemingly "low" position as excuse for us to be lax and do nothing.
In all things, God has called us to obey His word, for His glory and fame to be known.
Serving God is not a right, but a privilege we have received.
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