AN ACTIVE AGENT
February 14, 2020 | Esther 4:15–17
DEVOTIONS
This Month’s Issue
Have you ever floated down a lazy river, drifting along with the current? Sometimes our lives can be like that. We go with the flow, choosing comfort over obedience. It can be easier to take the path of least resistance, to just let life happen to us—rather than making the hard or bold choices to follow where God leads.
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
PHILIPPIANS 1:21
Up until this point in her story, Esther has been a passive protagonist. We previously noted the passive verbs the author used to describe her journey (2:8, 16). But in this moment, upon hearing Mordecai’s solemn warning, Esther is faced with an important choice. We aren’t privy to her thoughts. We don’t know if Esther was up all night, pacing the palace floor. We don’t know what exactly caused her to change her mind. Was it the threat of familial destruction? Or perhaps she gained a clearer understanding of the purpose for her life?
What we do know is that, regardless of her motivation, Esther finally took action. She turned the tables, and suddenly she was in charge. With uncompromising authority, she instructed Mordecai to gather all the Jews for a three-day fast. Interestingly, this direction also has a parallel in the book of Joel: “Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly” (Joel 2:15).
In effect, Esther blew that same trumpet call in Zion. She declared a holy fast. And, most significantly, for the first time, Esther chose to identify herself with the people of God. She made a daring move to fast with them and reveal who she really was. Afterward, she would go to the king—even though it was a life-threatening proposition.
If you “go with the flow” in life, God may be calling you to step out of passivity and take obedient action. Or perhaps He is asking you to reveal your identity as a Christ follower and reach out to others—even though that might result in ridicule. God promises to be our source of strength and courage as we follow Him.
Post credit: TITW
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