Queen Esther
Scripture Reading — Esther 4
Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?
“Why me?” Have you ever asked that question when someone asked you to do something or when something tragic happened to you?
Queen Esther may have felt that way when her cousin Mordecai suggested that she could use her position to stop the annihilation of her people. Mordecai reasoned that no one else among the Jews had such access to the king. So perhaps that’s why God had made Esther queen—to be in a place to stop such a terrible evil from happening and save her people.
Esther knew what she had to do. She asked all her people to fast for three days and nights, and this would have included fervent prayers to God for deliverance. So when Esther walked into the king’s throne room, she was wrapped not just in a beautiful robe but also in the prayers of God’s people. It wasn’t just the king in that room; God was there too.
We must remember that God is always with us in our world too, preparing places, opportunities, choices, and options ahead of us. We have a God who cares. We can rejoice that nothing happens by chance and that even the sad and hurtful things of life are under God’s control.
Praise God that we can wake up each morning knowing that God is faithful and will carry us through each day. Praise God that Jesus has come to stop evil from happening and to save his people.
Lord, when we are hurt and frightened, help us to remember that you watch over us and care for us. May we rest in your love today. Amen.
About the author — Thea Leunk
Thea Nyhoff Leunk has been a high school English teacher, a director of Christian education, a pastor of discipleship, and a regional coach for the Christian Reformed Church in North America. She is currently the senior pastor at Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Thea has also written courses for teens and young adults on world religions, Christian faith traditions, and science and the Bible. She and her husband have three adult children.
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