Facing Fear

I have always admired Esther.  So many Biblical accounts are about men, that I really enjoy it when I read something about a woman...especially this woman.  She has always been my hero!  If you have never read the book of Esther, I encourage you to.  Its an incredible story of an amazing young lady and its also very applicable to the world we live in today.

Esther was originally named Hadassah, which means myrtle.  I can’t help imagining how differently we would view the book of Esther had it been called the book of Myrtle.  I’ve heard that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” but I’m not sure I’ve ever believed it! LOL Everyone knows Esther was beautiful, but did you know that Esther was an orphan?  She was raised by her cousin Mordecai, probably a bachelor, in the foreign land of Persia.  The Bible does not tell us how Esther’s parents died, or when they died, but some scholars believe they died at the same time.  How horrible.  Young, orphaned, raised by your bachelor cousin.  Esther probably never imagined she would deliver the Jews from being wiped off the earth for good. 

Did you know that Esther did not end up in the palace by her own choice?  The king’s search for a new queen was not a beauty pageant that Esther volunteered to take part in.  Esther 2:8 tells us that “when the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many girls were brought” to the palace.  Can you imagine?  She was a foreigner, torn from the only father she had ever known and taken to a palace full of strangers who didn’t know her true identity.  And, it only got worse. 

When she arrived, she was subjected to one year of daily beauty rituals.  This was done so that regardless of the heat, regardless of the situation the queen was in, she would smell wonderful and look great.  We all have cabinets full of beauty products, lotions for this and that, a different perfume for every season, special shampoos, but I bet none of us have submerged ourselves in oil for hours upon hours every day for months just to get rid of a few blemishes!  Esther endured some serious stuff!  After the year of beauty treatments was over, each girl was given one chance with the king.  She would never again return to the king unless he took a special liking to her and asked for her by name.  This was a very long process!  Esther had been at the palace for 1 year and 10 months before she was called to see the king!  Esther 2:17-18 (The Message Remix) says “The king fell in love with Esther far more than with any of his other women or any of the other virgins – he was totally smitten by her.  He placed a royal crown on her head and made her queen…” 

Now for the good stuff.  It all starts with Haman.  Haman was the highest ranking official in the king's government and hated Jews.  He had sent out an order to destroy the Jews and all their property.  When Esther heard about it, she sent a servant, Hatach, to Mordecai to get the whole story.  Mordecai told Hatach everything that was going on.  Esther 4:8 says, "he told him (Hatach) to urge her to go into the king's presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people."  Esther sent Hatach back to Mordecai with a message of her own.  Verse 11 says she told Hatach to tell Mordecai "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king."  Esther thought Mordecai had lost his mind.  He was basically asking her to risk her life.  She was scared for her people, and also for herself.  Mordecai would not be stopped.  He sent another message to Esther (Esther 4:13-14) saying "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape.  For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"  This got Esther's attention.  She replied (Esther 4:16) "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."

What do you think changed her mind?  How did she get from the fear in verse 11 to the courage in verse 16?  I think, for one, that Mordecai reminded her of her heritage when he said “do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.”  He also forced her to think of her life without him and that there were others who depended on her, by saying “If you remain silent…your father’s family will perish.”  Sometimes, we will do for others, especially people we love, what we would not have the courage to do for ourselves.  Last, Mordecai reminded her of destiny, of God’s ultimate plan for each of our lives, with this statement:  “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”  Morst likely, even if Esther refused to help, God would have rescued His chosen people some way…but, Esther was His first choice. 

Have you ever thought it wasn’t necessary for you to do something because surely someone else would take care of it?  Have you ever been scared to let people see you for who you really are?  Fear is a daily struggle in our lives.  God knew that.  One can safely assume it’s the reason the most oft given command in the Bible is “Do not be afraid…” Fear rears its ugly head in almost every situation.  We desire to apply for a promotion at work, but we’re afraid that if we get the position we won’t be able to do the job.  We’re afraid of dying young, yet we’re afraid of growing old.  We're afraid of committment, yet we're afraid of living alone.  

Face your fears, whatever they may be.  Esther said, “If I perish, I perish.”  In other words, “I may die trying to save my people, but it’s worth it!”  When my sister and I first moved to Houston, we were both scared of every little noise we heard.  One night we were both petrified by a noise we kept hearing at the back window.  We were huddled together in my sister’s bedroom, conversing about our impending doom.  I would say, “Do you think someone’s trying to get in?”  She’d say “if they are, what are we going to do?”  To which I would reply, “If someone breaks in, they could steal all our stuff…they could rape us…they could kill us!”  To which my sister says, “Oh goodness…we only have steak knives to protect ourselves with!”  On and on we went, terrifying ourselves even more!  Looking back this is hilarious, but at the time, we were scared senseless…obviously, right?  When we finally got enough courage up to look out the window, we discovered that the noise was only a branch blown by the wind.  The branch kept striking the window and making a noise.  That night, I prayed that God would cast fear out of my life.  Ever since then, I’ve never been scared to be alone.  Through my fear, God taught me that we cannot simply trust Him not to let our biggest fears become reality.  We have to trust that if/when our biggest fear becomes reality, He will be there!  Having fear is putting your trust in the wrong source.  To have fear is to have faith in the enemy…and he doesn’t deserve that. 

We need to be fearless.  Not ignorant, but wise and brave.  Sometimes we are the only ones who can change the future!  If we don’t stand up, who will?  If this generation doesn’t share this gospel, then who will?  It takes courage to remain steadfast in truth.  Living for God isn’t easy and sometimes its downright scary!  But just as Esther was the one who could step up and save her people, we are the ones who can step up, save this holiness message and proclaim salvation.  As a child of the King, you are a princess.  Gather all the people, fast and pray, for who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this. 

Sorry for the longest blog ever LOL

Amberly