Women of the Bible - ESTHER

The story of Esther is one I have admired since I was a little girl. We're familiar with her beauty, courage and patience whilst being under immense pressure to save her people.  Have you ever been in a situation like Esther?  Where you feel as though there aren't enough hours in the day, as though you are in a race against time because I know I have.  Through the story of Esther, we can learn patience in divine timing and learn how to trust in God whenever tensions are high.

When we first see Esther in the Bible, her breath-taking beauty is what brings her into the palace of the King; as the Bible tells us, she is a beautiful young woman. Esther's beauty is what captures the King's heart, and he crowns her as Queen of the land.  In modern society, beauty can often be a difficult subject for women especially with the increased use of social media, we can find ourselves often comparing our beauty to other women.  We should take comfort in the fact that we are made in the image of God, just like Esther was. However, we should take comfort from the story of Esther as her beauty was God-given for a reason.
Similarly, Esther was a very courageous woman.  She knew that going to the King without him asking to see her was punishable by death.  However, he was so enamoured by her that he saw her and was joyful. Through the power of God, she was able to initiate the process of freeing her people.  Esther was not afraid to die as she trusted in the Lord.  We, too, should be like Esther in this way.  As Christians, we can find comfort in the fact that we will be in Heaven when our time on Earth is finished.  From Esther, we can learn that the threat of other humans is nothing in comparison to the threat of God.  When the two are compared, only one is greater, and that is God.  Who are we to disobey our Almighty Lord in Heaven?

It can be noted that Esther was filled with patience.  When she first spoke to the King, she did not ask for her people to be spared right away.  Esther trusted in the divine timing of her Saviour.  If you were in Esther's shoes, would you be as patient as she was?  Would you devote yourself to fully trust in the Lord's plan and timing?  She cooked a banquet for the King, and he was so pleased that he would have done anything for her. In the background, Mordecai was a day away from his death that Haman had arranged for him. However, they were not aware of how this was planned by God.  The King was outraged whenever Esther finally told him about Haman's plans to exterminate her people from the land.  He was furious that someone would think of killing his beautiful wife, whom he loved so deeply.  Haman soon found himself waiting for his execution in place of Mordecai.

Through the story of Esther, we can take pride in who we are and in our abilities.  We can also remember the verse found in Proverbs chapter 3:5-6, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understandin. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.'
 

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