Bible Journal, For the Soul

Come before the King

 

But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that the wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own heard, and that he and his sons should be hanged in the gallows.” (Esther 9:25)

The most quoted phrase/verse in the book of Esther is “…for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). It speaks of a central issue in the story of Esther when the people of Israel were delivered from wicked Haman. Yet I think many times we tend to get stuck on that verse and just gloss over everything else in the story of Esther.

In my daily reading from the Bible, the Lord brought to my attention another important verse near the end of the book. It ties in to the beginning of the story to demonstrate how the verse “for such a time as this” was applied, or put into action in a practical sense.

What could they do?

The story of Esther is a perfect example of how God is involved in all the details of life. He worked behind the scenes to bring about His will. It may have seemed like the wicked Haman and the powerful king of Persia had control of the political decisions and the course of history. It may have seemed like the people of Israel could do nothing against the royal decree of death to the Jews. They were so small against such a mighty empire. Esther was only one young lady, though a queen. Mordecai was only one man. What could they do against the officials and king of Persia? How could they stop a genocide? How could they overturn a law and make it be in their favor?

Blessings for a Purpose

Indeed, in his foreknowledge, God arranged everything in place to fulfill His will before Haman devised his evil scheme. Focusing on Esther, we see how God prepared her to be chosen as the new queen for King Ahasuerus. We can only imagine that it was a time of blessing in her life. She had a new royal status, and experienced many new privileges. But it was all for a purpose. God had given her all that so she could use it on behalf of her people. She was sent there on a mission.

Similarly in our own lives, when we have seasons of blessings, remember it is for a reason. God gives us a blessing because later down the road He may want us to do something important with it.  And we have a choice. We can take the blessing and use it for our own fulfillment and ignore God’s call to action, or we can utilize the blessing and take a stand like Esther. The Word of God says:

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)

Even Mordecai reminded Esther that God expected her to take a stand, but it had its risks. Yet she was willing to risk it all and do the right thing rather than sit in complacency thinking that all would go well with her while her own countrymen suffered.

Coming before the King

The situation for the Jews under King Ahasuerus was grim. They were destined to die because of evil Haman. There was nothing they could do unless God intervened. It seemed like a hopeless case, and humanly speaking Esther and Mordecai could not do much either.

Today, we can look at the course of history, at all the political events, all the leaders, and different troubling things that take place, and have the impression that there is not much we can do. But just like God used Esther to influence the course of history, He can use you for mighty things too. In the end, Esther had more power (because God used her), than even the king himself! She was able to turn the tables in her favor.  But all of that was accomplished by one simple action: “…when Esther came before the king…

This verse reminded me that we, as children of God, have access to the King of Kings. His scepter is evermore extended to us. We can always come before Him with our requests. Can you imagine the magnitude of this fact? Can you imagine that you can be an Esther in your own time, and come before your Heavenly Father with any request?

Prayer is such a powerful asset! Through prayer, God can use you to influence the outcome of history, just like Esther. Remember:

“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” (James 5:16)

All you have to do is pray! Come before the King.

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