Esther 4:15 – 17 “Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.”
In this passage, Esther proves that she is every inch a queen. She is afraid for her life, but she has identified that something is more important than her fear. She is ready to risk her life for her people. Yet, she knew she could use all the help she could get.
By telling her people to fast, she was telling them to pray. She was sending up smoke signals to the Almighty, saying, “A little help here, please?” Esther was more concerned about the survival of her people than about her own safety. So she prayed, and she acted.
Many times, we pray, but we don’t ever get around to acting. Or we act without praying. Neither of those will accomplish all that God wants us to accomplish. While prayer is extremely important, there is a time to get up off our knees and march forward. Yet, moving forward without consulting God, who knows what lies ahead, is just plain foolish.
Esther had no guarantees of the outcome. She only knew that if she didn’t do something, disaster was sure to happen. She said, “If I perish, I perish.” At that moment, she met her destiny, and embraced it.
I am reminded of another who said, “If I perish, I perish.” Only He knew the outcome even before He acted. He knew that, in order to save His people, He would have to die. Yet, He continued on. He didn’t have to give His life for us, just as Esther didn’t have to risk her life. But He did, because His love for us was more important to Him than His own life.
I’m so glad He felt that way, aren’t you?
Dear Father, Thank You for Jesus, who gave His life so that I could be saved.
Amen
There are many people across the world today who are persecuted for the faith, and who are brave enough to say ‘If I perish, I perish’. I will pray today for those people, for their courage and safety.
Thanks for that reminder, Jackie. I’ll pray, too.
There are other ways of “perishing”, though not as severe. Esther risked her life. Would I risk my job for God? My family? My friends? How far would I go to do what He has called me to do?
Just a thought. 🙂
It’s not easy to set yourself aside and face difficulty with courage. God blessed us with many Saints before us, and there are certainly many among us today. I’m willing to “go all the way” for Christ, says my Spirit, but my body (natural self) snaps to attention and screams “no way!”. St. Paul (?) said it was a battle between our Spirit and Body. Not an easy thing. God please bless our efforts, as pitiable as they are.
Good points, Sarah. And I’ve noticed that it is easy to SAY I will do or this or that, when the situation isn’t staring me in the face. But I pray that when I am actually faced with a circumstance which requires courage, I will do the right thing.
“God please bless our efforts, as pitiable as they are.”
Amen!