Drawing lessons from women of the Bible: Esther

BY MAGRETH RUZVIDZO- Out of the 66 books in a bible, only two were named after women, that is, Ruth and Esther. Today we draw a few lessons from Queen Esther. Here’s a bit of Esther’s background that can help us understand the lessons and how God can mysteriously operate in our lives. The summary is also for the benefit to those who have read the story a while back and also those who are not familiar with the book of Esther.

Esther was an orphan who grew up being taken care of by her cousin Mordecai in Persia. She was Jewish and very beautiful. At one occasion, the queen of Persia, Queen Vashti disregarded the command given to her by her husband King Xerxes. The king decided to divorce her. The king then called on beautiful virgins to be brought before him so that he could choose a beautiful queen to replace Queen Vashti. Esther found favour and was crowned the queen but Mordecai did not disclose her nationality. Later on Esther was able to save her people when Haman had plotted for all Jews to be killed.

Seven lessons learnt from this story:

1. God always has a plan for our lives.
   As we can see, Esther was a Jew but she was crowned to be a queen in a foreign land. The citizens of Persia did not find that favour and this indeed shows the power of God. Esther chapter 4 shows that Esther was very beautiful and wise and she managed to use those privileges to save fellow Jews. Likewise, we must use the privileges we have our lives like wealth, knowledge and education for the benefit of others. Whenever opportunities rise, make a move and be ready to help. What we must do is to have faith and believe that indeed God has greater plans for each one of us. What is more important is not to use those opportunities for our selfish reasons but to serve others like what Esther did.
2. We must stand with courage.
   How many times have you been afraid to stand up for yourself or others? How many times have you looked down upon yourself? The answer is so many times! But from the book of Esther we learn that we must stand firm especially if it’s for the benefit of others. In this instance, Esther was even willing to die in order to save her people. She even sacrificed to see the king even though it was not the appropriate time to see him. So many times in life we have failed to face our challenges and this leaves us doubting the power of God in performing miracles in our lives. Whatever we want to do in life, let’s stand up with courage and always do it with the right motive.
3. Fasting and Prayer can bring deliverance.
   Before meeting the King with her request, Queen Esther prayed and fasted first with her fellow Jews. They fasted for three days praying earnestly to God. This made it easier for Esther’s request to be accepted by the King and the Jews were not prosecuted. Likewise in our lives, let us make prayer and fasting our lifestyle not like a painkiller which is only used when one is in pain. Prayer and fasting has a way of bringing humility in humanity and opening God’s storehouse. It didn’t require much energy and convincing for Esther to make her request heard. The King acted swiftly against Haman even though he was the King’s right hand man. So whenever we need direction and guidance in life, prayer and fasting is the way to go. If we read Daniel chapter 10 we can also see the power of prayer and fasting whereby God answered Daniel’s prayers.
4. God uses anyone for his divine purpose.
   Never under estimate yourself and your capability in life. God is looking for your character in order to fulfil his mission. God was able to use Esther, as young as she was, to deliver the Jews from persecution. We can see that from the book of Esther, the decree had been made and the only thing left was the day of destruction of the Jews. Being led by the spirit of God, Esther was able to stand up for the whole nation (Esther 4:14). In life let us see ourselves as the right vessels and also ready to be used in God’s mission. We must not be also selfish when God present the opportunity to use but accept the challenge and do whatever God require us to do. Each one of us is capable of doing anything.
5. With God’s help, anything is possible.
   Esther prayed and fasted first before approaching the king. She understood that she couldn’t do anything using her own power. Remember, it was not the right time for Esther to visit the King but through God, she was allowed to come before the King. The king had also Haman, an evil right hand man who was working tirelessly to see Mordecai and all Jews perishing. But all that didn’t influence the King’s decision to stop his decree upon the Jews.
6. Our past does not determine our future.
   Esther was an orphan, a Jew who grew up in a foreign land but all this did not stop her or stand in her way to be crowned the Queen. Most probably, Esther didn’t even dream of becoming a queen let alone being someone highly recognised in society but when grace located her she became one. As an individual, do not let your past or background be a setback. Rather let it be a stepping stone and something that drives you to become someone in life. Do not hold on your past, it doesn’t dictate your future but only God can! Jeremiah 29 verse 11, God has better plans for us all, not plans to harm us but to give us a better future. Let us always keep this in mind so that we can stay positive in life.
7. Loving others is the most important thing to do in life. As mentioned earlier, Esther was able to compromise her life so as to save the whole nation. But let us ask ourselves how many times how we put others first in life? Have we even considered the welfare of our neighbours or we just focus on our life? The story of Esther teaches us that in our homes, workplaces, schools and everywhere we are, let love lead. If we read on the golden rule (Mark 12 verse 30-31) we can note that love is in the centre and it is that love that can make us save others.
   What an action packed book right? It shows God’s mercy upon his people through Esther.
   At last we must have this in mind- We might not be faced with an Esther-like situation but whenever there is need to save others, let that be our priority. Whatever situation we are in let us be selfless, courageous, prayerful having in mind that the Lord is always on our side. Keep Romans 8 verse 28 in mind whenever you feel confused with life events. Be blessed!!!