3 Lessons from Queen Esther
“God, what is your calling for me?” “How can I bring you glory?” “God, can you use me as part of your plan?” If you’ve ever prayed any of these prayers and wondered how you can be a part of carrying out God’s will, I believe the story of Queen Esther can give us some answers.
I used to think of Esther as a somewhat glamorous story - a rags-to-riches account of an orphan who became queen and saved the Jewish people because of her courage. And while parts of that are true, there’s so much more that we can learn - not only about Esther and her character, but about God’s character, His providence, and His goodness.
I’ve been doing a study from The Daily Grace on the book of Esther, called ‘Esther: Seeing God When He Is Silent’, and I have to say—my perspective on her life story now is drastically different than the perspective I had when I was a little girl, when Esther in my mind was a green bean and Mordecai a pea. (Veggie Tales anybody?) Anyway, now I don’t see Esther’s story as one of glamour; instead, I see a story of grace. I see a story of humility, obedience, and surrender; a story of our almighty, perfect God saving His people in His perfect timing, and allowing Esther to play a part in carrying out His will that would ultimately bring Him the glory.
See, while Esther’s life was filled with favor, protection, and miracles, it was also filled with waiting, heartbreak, uncertainty, and moments of great fear. Yet through it all, she continued to walk in faith, and God was moving the entire time—which tells me that not every moment will be a “Queen Esther” moment, but every act of obedience matters, and you never know which one could be your own “for such a time as this”.
Not every moment will be a “Queen Esther” moment, but every act of obedience matters, and you never know which one could be your own “for such a time as this”.
If it’s your heart’s desire to be used by God as part of His good plans, here are 3 things we can learn from following Esther’s example:
1. She participated in God’s providence
When Queen Esther’s cousin Mordecai asked her to approach the king and plead with him to have mercy on their people, he said to her, “If you keep quiet at a time like this, help will come from heaven to the Jews, and they will be saved, but you will die and your father’s family will come to an end. Yet who knows—maybe it was for a time like this that you were made queen!” (Esther 4:14). In other words, God was going to do what God was going to do. He is sovereign and has providence over all people, and His will is going to be accomplished no matter what. But it was Esther’s choice whether she was going to participate in God’s plan. Just like Esther, we also receive opportunities to play a part in God’s plans—not because His plans hinge on our actions, but because of His grace and kindness. Just like Esther, we’ve been placed in specific positions, around specific people, for a specific purpose—and it’s our job to seek God’s direction, to pray for His will to be done, and to be obedient to His voice.
2. She focused on “what next?” instead of “what if?”
At first, when Mordecai asked Esther to approach the king, her immediate response was fear. She said, “If anyone, man or woman, goes to the inner courtyard and sees the king without being summoned, that person must die. That is the law; everyone, from the king’s advisers to the people in the provinces, knows that. There is only one way to get around this law: if the king holds out his gold scepter to someone, then that person’s life is spared. But it has been a month since the king sent for me” (Esther 4:11). We see so much fear in Esther’s response here, and logically so—her life would be on the line! Her thoughts immediately went to “what if’s”—what if she approached the king and he didn’t hold out his gold scepter?; what if he had no interest in seeing her since it’s already been a month?; what if she were to do what Mordecai was asking, and she died in the process?; what if the king didn’t show mercy?
Instead of thinking about the “what if’s”, she focused on the “what next”—the next step that God was asking her to take.
But then there came a shift in her thinking. After Mordecai reminded her that God would send help from heaven regardless but that maybe she was in her position for a reason, Esther decided that she was going to fast and pray and then go to the king. She even concluded, “If I must die for doing it, I will die” (Esther 4:16). I don’t believe that she was able to make this shift because her fear left her. I believe she was able to move forward in obedience because she shifted her focus off of her fear and onto her faith. Instead of thinking about the “what if’s”, she focused on the “what next”—the next step that God was asking her, through Mordecai, to take. And just like how Esther didn’t know how things were going to end up, we don’t know where the next step will take us, but we are called to keep taking steps of obedience anyway. We often think of Esther’s story as one of bravery, but it was her obedience and trust in God that ultimately made her brave.
3. She chose humility over honor
Throughout this story, Esther approaches the king multiple times, and each time, he shows her great favor. After the three-day period of fasting & prayer, Esther enters the palace, and the Bible says that she won the king’s favor. He tells her, “Tell me what you want, and you shall have it—even if it is half my empire” (Esther 5:3). That same evening, he tells her again, “Tell me what you want, and you shall have it. I will grant your request, even if you ask for half my empire” (Esther 5:6). For a third time, the following day, he says, “Now, Queen Esther, what do you want? Tell me and you shall have it. I’ll even give you half the empire” (Esther 7:2).
In the midst of so many temptations and opportunities to seek our own honor and glory, we are called to seek His instead.
We don’t know what was going through Esther’s mind during each of these interactions, but what we do know is that she had at least three opportunities to ask the king for anything she wanted. Any of these times, Esther could have taken her eyes off of building God’s kingdom and could have tried to build a kingdom and honor for herself, like Haman was trying to do. Instead, she set any pride aside, humbled herself, and submitted to God and trusted Him to deliver her family and the Jewish people from Haman’s evil plot. And isn’t that a beautiful representation of the gospel? Jesus himself submitted to God and trusted our Father to deliver him and bring ultimate justice and salvation. We are also called to follow this example—in the midst of so many temptations and opportunities to seek our own honor and glory, we are called to seek His instead. One of my favorite passages is Philippians 2:5-11, which illustrates perfect obedience and how we are to live our lives as well:
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11)
Reflection & prayer:
God, thank you for your Word and the story of Esther. Thank you for revealing more of who you are, through your Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your good plans and for inviting us to participate in your providence. Thank you for being our trusted savior who guides our every step, and thank you that we don’t have to worry about that which you’ve already gone ahead of us to prepare. Thank you for the example we have in you Jesus, and for your heavenly kingdom that is greater than any kingdom here on earth. Help us to follow you with humility, obedience, and faith, and to be a light for others. We love you and give you all the honor, praise, and glory. Amen.
