They were worlds apart. Palace gates created a physical separation between them, and a messenger was needed for communication. Mordecai lay in sackcloth, Esther dressed in royal garments. The queen, isolated behind the gates, had not even heard the news that was causing chaos in her kingdom – her husband had issued a decree to destroy her people! It was a decisive moment. Her secret identity as a Jew was at stake, and her life and the lives of her people were on the line. What would the queen do?
Silence was an option. But the continual urgings of Mordecai stirred her heart. The exchanges between Esther and Mordecai, the man who had adopted her as his own, revealed just how distant she had become from her humble beginnings as an orphan Jewish girl. But Mordecai persisted, reminding her of who she was and that her fate was as uncertain as the rest of the Jewish people – the palace would not protect her. Her comfortable life was about to be shaken.
In the end, Esther decided she could no longer remain silent and would risk her life to approach the king, but only after fasting for three days. For Esther a time of preparation was needed to reconnect and be empowered by God. She realized that she could not do it on her own.
Sometimes it takes the courage of Esther to be who God has created us to be. And often it requires boldness to speak up when staying silent is much easier and less confrontational. But just like Esther we need to remember not only who we are but whose we are. In our world today, it’s easy to find our identity in what’s around us – our careers, roles, families, and even sports. But as Christians, there is only one identity that is lasting and will carry us through times of despair – our identity in the one true God.
Who/what is your identity in? Will it withstand the trials of life?
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17)