devotions and reflections

Today I’m starting a new category in my devotional called “Women in the Bible” and I’m starting it with Esther. The story of Esther is not just of beauty but of bravery and steadfast faith.

As a girl, I have started to admire this orphaned little girl who was taken care of by her cousin Morcecai who we know was working in the Persian palace under King Ahasuerus. I remember taking especial attention to how she was being trained and pampered to vie in beauty pageant. I admired her then for the beauty she possessed to be chosen as the new queen.

Later on, I came to admire Esther in a deeper sense. My favourite verse in her books is found in chapter 4 verse 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”

The last clause is really striking. Being a queen, she didn’t just sit there and be pretty. She must have realized what she was placed there for. And with faith and bravery, she technically offered her life for her people.