An Undesirable but Powerful Position

      By Fern Horst

"Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:15-16)

If you haven't recently read the book of Esther in the Bible, I encourage you to sit down and read it. It's a fascinating story of a poor Jewish woman who was chosen to become the queen of Persia, and in that position risked her life to save the Jewish people from annihilation.

It all sounds so romantic and dramatic. But for a young innocent girl pulled from her secure and loving Jewish home and thrust into a world so foreign to her, I'm sure it was anything but romantic. And though it was certainly dramatic to save her people by going to the King to petition for them, she had to risk her life to do so. Anyone - even the King's wife - who dared to come before him without being summoned risked being executed unless he took mercy on them and extended his scepter to them.

I couldn't help but think this time of year of the similarities between Esther and Jesus. Both left a comfortable and secure home to become part of a very different world in order to save their people from certain destruction. Both were willing to lay down their lives for their people. And both allowed God to use them to turn a less-than-desirable situation into one that affected many people for good for many generations after them.

But there are some differences as well. Esther had no choice about moving to the palace since she was chosen by the King and forced to become his queen. Jesus willingly came to earth. Esther had no idea when she became queen that she would need to risk her life. Jesus knew when He left heaven that He would be giving His life. Although Esther was willing to die for her people, in the end she didn't need to. Jesus, however, went all the way to Calvary, dying a cruel death on a cross, in order to give each one of us a chance to receive eternal life.

Each one of us has a calling to take up our cross and follow Christ. Esther took up her cross and, although not in a situation she would have chosen, utilized it to its full potential and fulfilled God's plan and purpose for her life in saving His people through her. Every one of us has such a cross to bear and an opportunity to use to God's glory. It may not be one we would have chosen, but if God has placed us in that position we can be sure that He has a purpose to fulfill and a plan to employ through us in that specific situation. The joy at the end of our lives when we see how God used us will outweigh any shorter-lived happiness we may have had in a different situation of our own choosing.

May we live this coming year with the full awareness of God's leading in our lives, allowing Him to use us to His glory in whatever situations we find ourselves.

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

© 2006 Fern Horst

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