Behind the Scenes’
Esther is the only book in the Bible named after a woman, and God goes unmentioned. But God is working behind the scenes in Esther’s life- just like He does in ours. Esther was a beautiful Jewish young woman who was chosen to be part of King Xerxes harem. God placed Esther in this position which at first, doesn’t seem appealing, and I’m sure wasn’t what Esther dreamed of as a little girl.
Short summary: The Queen, Vashti, disobeys an order from her husband, the King, and is banished, and we can assume dealt with harshly. So now King Xerxes looks for a new Queen within his harem and chooses Esther, an unlikely candidate, because of her upbringing.
As Queen, Esther chooses faith over fear in a dire circumstance and takes the next step, which comes with great risk. The results, Queen Esther, saves the whole Jewish nation. Read this exciting story for yourself, it is filled with drama. But here is what we need to understand. God is always at work! God orchestrated the circumstances and prepared Esther in advance, for His good and ours.
God has great purpose and plans for each of us. He is working right now in our lives behind the scenes, and our role is to trust and obey. This is not easy, especially when the circumstances can look overwhelming and hopeless. But God is faithful.
How can you and I take the steps of faith like Esther? Well first, notice the obvious. Esther didn’t take matters in her own hands, she didn’t stop trusting God, and you know she had to be fearful as she could not only face punishment but death because of her actions, yet she didn’t let fear rule her (oh to be like Esther).
God honors and increases our faith as we draw closer to Him (James 4:8). Being intentional to spend dedicated time with Him, we can learn to walk in God-confidence like Esther. Maybe your next step of faith is to save your life, your marriage, or the next generation. Take a moment and read the following scriptures:
When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 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. For 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?” Esther 4:12-14
Father God, enable us to walk in faith not allowing fear to lead our decisions. May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace as we trust in you, so that we will overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus name, Amen.
