IDENTITY + FAITH

Esther 4:14 - “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

I love reading the book of Esther because she is a queen.

Literally.

She is chosen to be a queen, but not only that… even when we see that God’s name is nowhere to be found in this book, you understand that underneath the text in the book, God is working.

In Chapter four, Mordecai finds out Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews and he goes on a strike to get the king’s attention. Esther finds out, sends out one of the king’s eunuchs to clothe him, but he refuses the coverings. Instead, the eunuch becomes a messenger between Mordecai and Esther. She is afraid to step into a situation that will have the king sentence her to death, but Mordecai reminds her of these words, “for if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place… who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?”

It’s like, underneath everything that is going on, even though Haman thinks he will succeed in his evil plan, God knows what is going on and already knows how to fix it… we just need to have faith in God’s completed plan.

The Jews, such as Mordecai and Esther, know their God. They know His unlimitedness, they know His power, but they also know He will take care of them.

And this goes for us when God leads you to do something that may be out of the norm, impossible, or frightening.

You can step into faith knowing God placed us where we are and called us for a time such as this.

If you haven’t read the story of Esther, continue to read after chapter 4 and see how God weaves all the pieces together to show Esther and His people that He is their God.

The story doesn’t end there.

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we are part of His family. We are adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5, Galatians 3:26). This same faith that the Jews had, we can have also. He is already working in your lives, in the same way that He is still working in mine.

I’ve had to step out of my comfort and desire for a normal life in the same way Esther did.

As Christians with our faith, our identity comes from knowing who God is and choosing to remember who He is.

We will get sidetracked and we will be afraid at times, but we all have that “Mordecai” in our lives that will remind us maybe you were created or given this position for such a time as this?”.

Dear God,

Thank you for always showing up time and time again, even when we respond in fear and not faith. Please show me who you are because I always need to know and I always need to remember. Forgive my desire for other things and for giving into my own fear. Please give me the courage I need to be able to step into faith in You. And even when I still feel afraid, please send a “Mordecai” my way to encourage me and tell me the truth of who I am and who I have decided to follow. Help me to grow in my faith in You. Continue to reveal yourself to me in every part of my day, everyday.

In Jesus Name,

Amen.

~ Jeremae Reyes