Esther: Stepping outside the comfort zone

God had a mission for Esther

There is something you know you need to do, but it means abandoning your comfort zone and stepping out in faith. You know that it’s God’s leading, but it’s hard. You don’t know what the outcome is going to be. You really don’t know where you will be standing at the end of it.

A whole book of the Old Testament is devoted to the story of Esther, a Jewish exile living in Persia. An orphan, she was brought up by her cousin Mordecai. She was lovely and beautiful, and she must have been quite young also. When the royal decree was sent out that a new queen was to be found, and all the beautiful young women of the kingdom were to be brought to the royal palace, Esther left her childhood home and moved into the palace. Of all the beautiful young women there, King Ahasuerus set the royal crown on her head and made her queen.

It’s interesting to consider how Esther must have felt through all of this. There’s no doubt that as a young Jewish girl, this must have been completely outside of her comfort zone. She couldn’t have known how things would go. But God, as always, was behind the scenes. He had a mission for Esther to carry out; something she could not have done if she hadn’t left her old life behind her.

God’s perfect timing

In the meantime, Mordecai, because of his godly fear, had fallen out of favor with a man who had a lot of power in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. That’s another story in itself. The result was that this man, Haman, became so enraged that he convinced the king that all of the Jews in the kingdom should be destroyed. The king was completely unaware that his own queen was amongst these people, and agreed to this wicked plan. How would God’s people survive this?

When you read the story you can see how perfectly timed everything was. God had set up the chain of events, and Esther and Mordecai were in position for God to be able to use them to save His people from this destruction.

You can’t see the big picture in your life either, but can you trust that God is in perfect control? Jesus says about Him that not a sparrow falls from the sky without Him knowing about it. (Matthew 10:29)  It’s impossible to believe then that anything that happens to us is not watched over and carefully measured and balanced to be exactly what we need to fulfill His plan for our lives. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Boldness in the face of uncertainty

Esther and Mordecai came up with a plan that involved Esther putting her life at risk. She would go to the king and plead before him for her people. The law stated that anyone who approached the king without being called would be put to death, and there was no knowing if he would welcome her or not. Mordecai convinced her however, saying, “Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14.

And Esther’s response was, “I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!” Esther 4:16. That is faith!

Esther was an orphan who became queen of a kingdom. It took boldness for her to fight for her people. It can’t have been easy; it says that she fasted and prayed for three days before putting the plan into action. And then she was obedient, not knowing what the outcome would be. But it was more important for her to do what she needed to do. She trusted that God was in control.

Trust in God’s control

The outcome of Esther’s trust and boldness was that Ahasuerus welcomed her when she approached him, acquiesced to her pleading, and the Jewish people were saved from destruction. The wicked Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built specifically for Mordecai.

Learn to trust in God unquestioningly. To believe that He loves you so much that you can rest in His perfect guidance and wisdom for your life. Esther did it simply, and it went more than well for her. You can trust just as simply and take that step of faith! Be obedient to do the things that God asks of you. To step outside of your comfort zone and live a life of faith.

Read the book of Esther for the whole inspiring story!