Thank you, one and all, for staying with us to the end of our #womeninthebible series for the month of February. Our #womanofthemonth is Esther, and this is the last post you’ll see of her (for now), and we hope you have been blessed by the lessons based on her life.
The aim of this series is for us to get to know these characters better and learn from them and apply what we learn to our own lives now. As is said in 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
“Every Scripture has been written by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness. Then you will be God’s servant, fully mature and perfectly prepared to fulfill any assignment God gives you.” (TPT)
So that’s what we’re doing: reading, learning, evaluating, and applying. Please remember to share our posts on social media, so that more people can read and join us on this awesome journey of becoming all Christ has made us to be!
Now, let’s dive in!
Lesson #9: Reach Out to Others for Help
“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a three day fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night and day. I and my young women will also fast as you do.” Esther 4:16 (ESV)
We often think that we need to forge our own paths without anyone’s support. Look, God made it so that we will always need help from someone. No man is an island. God has appointed people to help us, people aptly named ‘destiny helpers’ whose own purpose is to help us achieve our own God-give purpose. Sometimes, things don’t work the way we expect because we didn’t reach out to others for help.
Sometimes, the only way to get the results you desire is to reach out to others for help. Because they have been appointed to help you.
Esther was a queen; she could have decided to use her own resources to save the Jewish people! But she chose instead to reach out to every single person in the Jewish nation and asked them to pray for her. She needed their prayers. She knew in her heart that, ultimately, they rose and fell together. She had the humility to be able to say ‘I need your help. Please fight with me.’
Even in prayer, you need people to help you. Don’t deprive them of the opportunity to help. Don't deprive yourself of the success you want, and will get, when you reach out to others for help.
Lesson #10: Faith is Persistence
“On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.” Esther 5:1-2 (ESV)
Imagine it.
Esther knew that certain death awaited her for going into the king’s presence without a royal summons.
Of course, she had fasted and prayed, and she knew that God will always be with her, regardless of what or who.
But she was still afraid.
Nevertheless, she went to the king.
Faith isn’t the absence of fear. It is moving in spite of the fear.
Faith isn’t the absence of challenges. It is meeting those challenges head-on, knowing that there will always be a solution, a way out.
Esther knew that she was taking a risk, but she also knew that she had God with her. Faith doesn’t mean that we always feel strong and courageous. Faith means that we persist even when we are exhausted and afraid. Esther did not give up when she felt like she couldn’t go on. Instead, she prayed. She found the faith to reach out, to ask for strength, and to find a way to make the impossible, possible. She kept moving forward until she reached the king, finding favor in his eyes.
Faith is moving, regardless of what you see or how you feel. God, though he is out of sight, is ALWAYS in the workings of things. You just have to trust Him. You just need to have faith and stick with that faith attitude.
Interactive Session
Thinking ‘I don’t need anyone’ is not an uncommon thing. However, there are times we don’t get what we want because we didn’t ask for or accept help. Can you think of any such occasions? Are you ready to accept and ask for help when you need it?
We need people to help us achieve or goals and visions. There are some, though, who say that sharing your goals and visions with others is not wise: they could steal those ideas and make them their own. Do you agree with this?
Faith is persistent. Faith is always believing. Faith is moving despite all seeming impossibilities. Feeling like giving up is normal, so how do you fight against that feeling in your faith walk?