If I Perish, I Perish

Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:13-14

Esther was in a difficult situation. She had lived in the palace long enough to understand the rules and knew she would be putting her life on the line if she approached the king, without being summoned, to ask for his help. Yet Mordecai’s words hounded her mind. She knew he was right. Intervening for the Jews was the right thing to do, and quite possibly the whole reason God had placed her in the palace and exalted her to queen. But her fear was real, and well justified. I can imagine the pressure she felt; she certainly didn’t want to disappoint Mordecai after all he had done for her. He took her in when her parents died and raised her as his own. And even after she was taken to the palace, he camped outside the gate to be sure she was okay, not just for a few weeks, but for nearly five years! And then there were the thousands of Jews who had been condemned to death; no one else appeared to be in a position to help them but her.

You may not be in a situation quite as dire as Esther’s but you may be able to relate to the amount of pressure she was under. It’s not easy to be the one that everyone seems to be depending on for help. It’s even harder if the person pressuring you to help out is someone you care about, feel indebted to and really don’t want to disappoint. So what do you do?

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16 NIV

You go before the Lord and you pray! You seek Him with all your heart, then you move forward doing the right thing and leave the results to Him. Isn’t that the basic goal of our spiritual journey, to follow God, always do what’s right, and leave the rest to Him? That’s easy to say, but hard to do. It requires full trust in God and surrender to His plan, whatever it includes.

Unless God intervened, Esther was in a no-win situation. If she spoke up on behalf of the Jews, her whole world could come crashing down around her; but if she remained silent, the same could happen to her friends and family. Perhaps you feel like you’re in a no-win situation today; the pressure is on, and you just want to run and hide. Esther had to come to the place where she was content to allow God to choose if her world fell apart. You and I need to come to that same place. Will you follow God and trust Him even if he allows that to happen?

It’s worth noting that Esther didn’t make a decision then rush in and do it. She took the time to fast and pray. There’s something to be said for setting aside all distractions, including food, and focusing our attention completely on God. I believe it was in those prayerful moments, God gave Esther the game plan. I’ve no doubt He revealed to her the best way to approach the king and gain his favor.

Lastly, she had the wisdom to ask others to fast and pray for her. We all need the prayer support of others, especially when the pressure is on! Esther was transparent enough to allow others to see her fear and understand the danger. Satan loves to isolate us. We are much easier to defeat alone. She resisted the temptation to hide her fear and appear that she had it all together.