Today's post was written by Lori Hereford who leads a young single girls small group through Brook Hills.

Remember the story of the orphan girl, Esther? She was raised by her cousin Mordecai. They lived in the land of Persia as captives. One day, Esther had to leave her home to possibly become queen. Well, Esther did become queen, and a few years later, the king’s highest official sent out a decree to have all of the Jews, people of Esther’s heritage, killed. So Esther did not get to live happily ever after when she became queen. Not even the high, worldly status of queen could spare Esther from troubles of the world.

When Mordecai became aware of the official’s decree, he sent a messenger to command Esther to “go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people” (Esther 4:8).

Esther sent the messenger back to Mordecai to say, “All the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without begin called, there is but one law-to be put to death, except the one too whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days” (Esther 4:11). Did Mordecai not remember the costs of approaching the king without his request?

The messenger returned to Esther once again with this message from Mordecai, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14).

Esther did not become any less of a Jew when she became queen and moved to the royal palace. The Lord did not make her queen just to redeem her from her life of troubles. She was able to enjoy great worldly pleasures as a queen, but now she was challenged to risk losing them all. Her people and even herself were threatened to be destroyed in one day, so what good were these worldly pleasures? Esther was afraid to take the risk at first. But after Mordecai’s second message she changed her mind…

Esther finally replied to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf…I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16).

So what was different? Mordecai pointed out that not even she would be safe from the edict; he expressed confidence in the deliverance of the Jews. Essentially, his response to her fear of visiting the king was that her silence was not any safer. Regardless, her life was at risk, but her silence extended the cost to her family also. With costs and risks either way, Mordecai encouraged her to take the way of obedience by putting focus on the Greater Power who would raise up relief and deliverance and who brought her to the kingdom for His purpose.

How did she respond? She called for a fast, and she personally fasted. She did not run for security in the pleasures of the world, but she turned to God for security. Secondly, she was willing to yield herself to obey, even if she perished.

We have the same hope in turning to our God, the greater power. In hope we can turn away from the lures of the world- no matter the costs to our bodies or flesh- and trust in the pleasures and security of our God through Jesus. So let us love our life like Esther. Let us entrust our lives to Jesus like he entrusted His to the Father.

“No eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 64:4).