For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this for this very occasion?
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me; and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I also and my maids will fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.
{Esther 4:14, AMP}
The story of Queen Esther is one of my favorites in the entire Bible for multiple reasons. First of all, Esther was a strong, courageous, dedicated woman of God. She did not allow the circumstances of Israel’s captivity to determine her ability to make a difference in people’s lives. Her story is one of power, purpose, and prayer that you and I as millennials can take to heart and put into practice in our own lives.
Let’s take a look to see what made Queen Esther’s life so memorable and how we can emulate her greatness:
1. Esther believed God had a purpose for her to accomplish and she prayed and fasted before she made a critical decision.
2. Esther did not stay silent about her beliefs.
3. Esther put the will of God before her own fear and was blessed because of her faith.
Esther was an exquisitely beautiful Jewish girl living in Persia during the time when the Israelites were in exile from their homeland sometime around the 5th century. She was raised by her cousin Mordecai to become a God-fearing, intelligent lady. When it came time for Xerxes, king of Persia, to choose a wife, the most beautiful maidens in the land were gathered to the palace. The women went through intense beauty treatments to enhance their natural beauty before the king was to choose a bride and they were all presented to the king as the most stunning young women of the land. Yet when King Xerxes saw Esther, he knew without a doubt that she was the one to destined to become his bride.
What a story, right? What girl wouldn’t dream of being taken to a palace for an opportunity to marry not only an extremely handsome man but also a man who was the king of one of the most powerful nations in the world!
But there’s more to Esther than a basic love story.
You see, Haman, one of Xerxes’ chief advisors, hated the Jewish people and was planning on annihilating the entire Jewish nation — the nation that also happened to be the nation of Esther’s people. When news of this impending crime reached Esther, however, she knew she would have to stop Haman.
Esther gathered her people together and prayed for God to give her direction on how to stop this most evil plot. She did not rush to King Xerxes in a fit of emotional rage and demand that Haman change his mind. She used wisdom by first praying and seeking the mind of God on how to deal with a problematic situation.
Esther ultimately ended up approaching King Xerxes although he had not summoned her and spoke from her heart. She was not silent about her beliefs: Esther proudly proclaimed her Jewish heritage to her husband and requested for the plot for the death of her people to be revoked.
The Persian law dictated that anyone who sought out the king was to be put to death if the king had not summoned that individual. Esther put the will of God to save His people ahead of her own fear and ended up saving an entire nation because of her bravery.
Esther bravely disobeyed the law of the land in humble obeisance to her God, the God of all gods and the King of all kings. Esther completely followed God’s plan for her life, which was to be in a place of power specifically to save her people from obliteration.
What would happen if you and I lived our lives with such a deep and committed purpose? What would happen if we desired to truly live out what God was calling us to do instead of merely seeking out a love story? Instead of dreaming about the biggest bargain on designer shoes? Instead of seeking out popularity on social media?
Darling, this is your time to put God at the center of every decision-making process in your life. This is your time to seek Him at the heart of every matter. Don’t make those big, life-changing decisions on your own — pray, fast, believe in what God speaks to your heart.
My darling, this is your time to speak out and for your beliefs. This is not the time to remain silent about Truth! This is not the time for you compromise your beliefs.
This is the time for you to put the will of God before your own fears, doubts, and misgivings.
This is your time.
