“This is what happened during the time of Xerxes[…]”
Esther 1:1
Hadassah, that’s my name. It means “myrtle tree” and represents love and a promise. My name was given to me by my mother and father. They wanted to remind me of where I came from and the promise that God gave us that we would return, one day, to our homeland. But for now, call me Esther, because I was born in the land of Persia and through God’s favor, I was made Queen of this land.
Esther never asked to be Queen. She was a girl whose circumstances were completely out of her control. As a Jewish orphan being raised by her Uncle Mordecai, her life was probably simple. Most likely she was learning about caring for a house and preparing for her life once she was engaged and married. Along with everyone else in the kingdom she probably talked about what happened to Queen Vashti and wondered who the new Queen would be. But then there was a decree:
“But after Xerxes’ anger had subsided, he began thinking about Vashti and what she had done and the decree he had made. So his personal attendants suggested, “Let us search the empire to find beautiful young virgins for the king. Let the king appoint agents in each province to bring these beautiful young women into the royal harem at the fortress of Susa. Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the harem, will see that they are all given beauty treatments. After that, the young woman who most pleases the king will be made queen instead of Vashti.” This advice was very appealing to the king, so he put the plan into effect.”
Esther 2:1-4
Esther, along with other beautiful girls, was kidnapped and forced into the king’s Harem. She should have disappeared into that Harem but through God’s favor and her Uncle’s warnings to keep her nationality a secret, she instead was CHOSEN by the king,
“Esther was taken to King Xerxes at the royal palace in early winter of the seventh year of his reign. And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women. He was so delighted with her that he set the royal crown on her head and declared her queen instead of Vashti.”
Esther 2:16-17
Now if this was a movie, that’s where this story would end. A beautiful, exiled, orphan becomes a queen and gains the love of a King. This is what dreams are made of right? But that’s not the end of the story.
Today I want you to think about the kind of bravery and faith that Esther had to practice every day while living in the palace. The fear of discovery must have been a constant thought in her mind. I bet you, her constant comfort was probably her prayer life. Have faith in the direction you feel God pulling you. It might feel terrifying, but God is walking in step with you the whole way. He only asks that you have faith in him.
Bethany Thomas is the Publicity Coordinator and a contributing writer for Shaken & Stirred. She is a daughter of God, a wife, and a dog mom. When not writing for the blog, you are most likely to find her reading a fantasy novel or crafting at her home in Sapulpa, OK.
Photo by Valerie Elash on Unsplash