Something that has been on my heart and God has been teaching me in line with the massive lesson of contentment is to be careful not to romanticise the Bible. Am I saying we shouldn’t imagine what life was like for people in the Bible or enjoy shows based on the Bible? No. Let me explain…
Esther is a perfect example of romanticisation in the Bible. At least for me, I would picture how incredible it would have been for her to be queen of virtually the whole known world at that time, have the most beautiful wardrobe, have respect attached to her title, and enjoy exquisite luxuries. Although this was probably all part of her life, there was much more to Esther and it all came down to her faith.
Let me bring you to Esther chapter 4 when Esther is now queen of Persia and has been enjoying the luxuries of palace life which was vastly different to how she grew up. Her older cousin (father figure) Mordecai communicates the recent decree that went out commanding the annihilation of the Jews by the end of the year. He asks Esther if she could go to the king on behalf of their people. A couple challenges with this were that Esther was a Jew and the king did not know this and no one (even the queen) was to go unto the king unless ordered by the king himself. The punishment for going to the king unsummoned was death (unless he saw fit to accept you by holding out his golden sceptre).
Esther communicates back to Mordecai the law of not going unto the king unless summoned and the potential consequence whilst also noting that she had not seen the king for 30 days. Mordecai responds “…if you keep silent at this time , relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place…” Esther then asks Mordecai and their people to fast and pray for 3 days while her and her maidservants did the same. After those 3 days she would go unto the king and she left her fate in God’s hands “…if I perish, I perish.”
God used two incredible faith-filled people to save His chosen people. Mordecai knew that even if Esther decided not to go to the king, God would still work (“…if you keep silent at this time , relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place…”). Do I have faith that God will work things for His good when it doesn’t go according to the way I thought it would? When things don’t look hopeful?
Esther’s bold and courageous choice wasn’t a split decision. It was choosing Christ every day. She was not unfamiliar with hardships in her life. Esther grew up without her parents as they died when she was young, she was abruptly taken from her home, stripped of the chance to marry a godly man, and lived a lonely romantic life. In these difficult moments she chose to look to God which led to her incredibly brave decision.
I think we as Christians often wish we had a story like these Biblical heroes. We want to be like David, Esther, Joseph, or Ruth – but we don’t want the hardships. We run away when things become uncomfortable and cry out how unfair life is. Please don’t misunderstand that painful circumstances do not somehow make us more righteous. We will not always know why God works the way He does, but what we do know is that He is to be glorified through everything. Wherever you are at in life, however you feel, whatever you have done/are doing… praise Him.
It’s like we forget that our happiness isn’t the point of life. As Christians we sometimes feel entitled to an easier life. As if being a believer, going to church, being kind, being involved in ministry, telling others about Jesus earns us a premium membership in life. Again, look at all the heroes in the Bible. Incredible redemptive stories, extreme difficulties, and seemingly impossible situations that were used for God’s glory. It’s almost as if God wants to show that it doesn’t matter who you are (king, businesswoman, a “nobody”), you have purpose and that is found in Him alone.
HannahIvelisse 