Read

Ezra 6:14-22, 4:6
Esther 1:1-4:17

Esther 4:14-16, “‘If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?’ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die.’”

Think

Esther, known for her beauty, caught the eye of King Xerxes of Persia, and he crowned her queen. One day, she received word from her uncle, Mordecai, that there was a terrible plot to kill her people, the Jews, who were living in the land. His message was clear: act now. Use the power of your position or you’ll be answerable to God. Talk about a nail-biting decision! As we see in today’s reading, she potentially risked death either way.

You might be thinking, “What’s so courageous about talking to your husband?” Well, it was illegal for anyone (family included) to approach the king without his summons. The penalty for breaking the law was death — even for his queen!

Esther feared God and was willing to take a stand for God’s people — even if it meant she would perish. And we can reasonably deduce that, by asking her fellow Jews to join her in a three-day fast, she strongly believed in the power of prayer. She sought God’s will first, which gave her the courage to act.

Courage comes in all forms. Sometimes it’s going against the crowd or speaking truth to power. Other times it’s quietly doing the right thing even in the face of great opposition. It’s doing what the Holy Spirit prompts you to do, even if it doesn’t make sense at the time. As long as it’s within God’s will, we never have to be afraid, and we’ll always find victory in the end. So, today, be an “Esther” — put your brave on and trust God because He wants to work through you to accomplish great things!

Pray

Father, Thank You for giving me a courageous heart to accomplish Your purpose for my life. As I put my brave on and take action, I trust You to strengthen my steps. Like Esther, I want to seize the opportunities You place before me! In Jesus’ name, Amen!