I wonder what Esther was feeling as she watched the sunrise on that third day.
“It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace…”
– Esther 5:1
This was the day that Esther would either end up a hero or end up dead. If I were in Esther’s place, I’m pretty sure I would have been tempted to crawl back into bed, pull the covers over my head, and desperately pray that God would find some other woman and some other way to save His people. I would ask:
Why me?
Why here?
Why now?
These are questions we often ask God when He calls us to be brave in less-than-ideal situations. Oh, we’re bold in the preparation, but when is it time to take that next step we can easily slink back in fear. We think, “Isn’t there an easier way, Father? Surely there’s someone else who’s more qualified… more available… more – I don’t know – “built” to handle these kinds of things?”
But Esther saved the doubt and the drama and instead responded with:
“Then I will go.”
From preparation to service. From out from under the covers and into the hard places.
I want to crawl out from under the covers, too, don’t you? I don’t want to look back on my life and realize that in all of my hiding and avoiding and wishing hard things away that I missed out on key opportunities to be used by God. At some point we actually have to get up, show up, and with much wisdom and trust in the One who holds the world in His hands, engage in the hard places He has called us to.
How can we confidently enter the hard places God has called us to and become women that God can use? Together, let’s learn from Esther 5.
1. A woman that God can use in the hard places is willing to take that brave first step.
It’s one thing to say you’ll do hard things, but it’s quite another to take that first step and stand in the “inner court,” risking it all. As we begin chapter 5, we see Esther entering in to approach the king. A woman God can use does more than just talk. After proper preparation, she turns ideas into action, she follows through with her commitments, and she doesn’t let fear stand in the way of taking that first brave step. She knows that the battle is the Lord’s (Proverbs 21:31).
2. A woman that God can use in the hard places knows when to speak and when to remain silent.
The Bible is packed full of verses that talk about the tongue and its power. It has the potential to be used for good, but there is also great danger in speaking many words (Proverbs 10:19). I find it beautiful, refreshing, and convicting that as Esther enters the inner court of the king’s palace in Chapter 5, she wins the favor of the king without even speaking a word. A woman God can use knows when to speak and when to remain silent because she knows it is God alone who has the power to move in the hearts of kings (Proverbs 21:1).
3. A woman that God can use in the hard places earns respect instead of demanding it.
In Chapter 5, we see a stark contrast between the way Esther appears before the king and the manner in which Haman handles Mordecai’s irreverence to him. Esther is humble, deliberate, and wise in her approach, and Haman responds with pride, wrath, and vengeance. A woman that God can use earns respect instead of demanding it because she finds her identity and worth in Christ instead of from the things of this world (Colossians 3:3).
4. A woman that God can use in the hard places knows that God’s purpose for her life isn’t just about her.
The favor that is on Esther’s life to this point is really extraordinary. This girl has gone from orphan to queen. In Chapter 5, Ahasuerus is willing to offer her half of his kingdom. But Esther doesn’t settle for comfort, and she’s not easily swayed by fame and riches. Esther remembers the task to which she has been called, and she remembers the lives that are at stake. A woman that God can use knows that God’s purpose for her life isn’t just about her because she remembers a world in need of a Savior (1 Corinthians 15:57).
This week, won’t you enter in?
