Growing up, I was the girliest girl you could ever hope to find…pink, princesses, dress up, costume jewelry. I loved it all. History has repeated itself with my daughter. As I watch my own little girly girl, I find myself remembering how much I love the story of Esther. A normal but beautiful girl getting a makeover and becoming a queen? It was right up my alley. But now as an adult, I realize how much more the story of Esther holds. And while it's one of only two books of the Bible that don’t specifically mention God, we know it is still important. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been included in the Bible! I’ve referred back to Esther quite a few times in previous blogs I’ve written, but a vision my mom shared with me had me looking at this story in a brand new light. It may not be earth-shattering, but maybe sharing my mom’s vision with you today will help you to just sit back and consider how undeserving we are of the love God lavishes on us.
The book of Esther is only ten chapters long. So, if you need a refresher or want to read it for the first time, it’s an easy read. But here’s a quick recap: the story is set in the country of Persia and the king, Xerxes, is having a party. He calls for his wife, Queen Vashti, but she refuses to come before him (a big no-no in their culture). King Xerxes has Queen Vashti deposed, which means she’s never allowed to see the king again and she is stripped of her royal title. So now, the king decides to look for a new queen. Esther, a young Jewish woman, who had been adopted by a family member, Mordecai, was among the ladies who were brought before the king as a potential bride. She found tremendous favor among those who were preparing her to go before the king, and indeed, the king chose her and made her queen. However, Esther decided to hide her nationality and not tell anyone she was Jewish. In the meantime, a high-ranking official named Haman conspired to destroy the Jews because he was enraged by Mordecai’s refusal to bow down to him. When Haman received King Xerxes’ approval to destroy all the Jews, Mordecai turned to Esther for help to save her people. After much deliberation, she knew she had to go before the king without being summoned, which could cost her life, and she had to reveal herself as a Jew. However, Queen Esther found favor in the eyes of the king as he held out his gold scepter. So she approached his throne, touched the scepter, and pleaded her case to the king. In the end, her people were saved, Mordecai was elevated to a high status, and Haman was executed.
Many of us can’t grasp the idea of waiting to have an audience with the king based on whether or not the king extends his gold scepter to us! We have freedom of speech where we can get online and share our thoughts, feelings, concerns, loves, excitement - you name it! But the honor and privilege bestowed to Esther by the king that day was nearly incomprehensible. Not only was she given a right to share her heart with the king, she was heard by him, and her plea impacted a change for her people!
Imagine for a moment, if we had to wait for a gold scepter to be held out to us so we could come before the Lord and pray to Him. Imagine we were still in Old Testament times where the Spirit of the Lord only rested on one person, and atonement for sins required the sacrifice of an animal. I don’t know about you, but I know I can take for granted the accessibility I have to God. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says to “rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” That’s constant communication with our heavenly Father. What a privilege! My mom’s vision was that of God seated on the throne of Heaven stretching out His gold scepter to her. And He never pulls it away! He has extended that scepter to all of us, but it is up to us to reach out and accept it.
Take a moment and visualize God reaching that scepter out to you, waiting to hear your heart, your concerns, and your fears. We have been welcomed into His presence, and it’s on us now if we will step in and sit with Him. I imagine it this way, if Scott and I had box seats to every home game for a season of the Philadelphia Flyers, would we not go to every game? If we had front row seats to a long awaited musical or concert, would we not be in those seats come show time? I don’t know about you, friends, but it is a humbling realization to know that God extends His scepter to me in every moment, with every breath and every step I take. So shame on me if I decide to not take advantage of the privilege and speak to my King.
Friends, the Lord has stirred my heart to encourage you not to be ashamed today, but to let you know that the same privilege that was extended to Esther is being extended to you! I encourage you to take a moment today and envision the Lord extending His scepter to you, waiting patiently for you to share your heart with Him, and then take advantage of His invitation and enter into His presence. What a wonderful God and Savior we serve!
Be Blessed!
Becca Drumheller
