4 WAYS QUEEN ESTHER INSPIRES US TO STEP OUT IN BOLD FAITH

Want to kickstart the new year with bold faith? I sure do! Since 2020 might be called the year of “perfect vision,” let’s begin by asking God for bold faith to see clearly and walk confidently in all that he has planned for us.

WHY WE NEED BOLD FAITH

Can it really be here already? A new year? A new decade? It is hard for me to wrap my mind around the last year…let alone the previous ten!

So many people are taking the time to review the past ten years (which I think is wise and beneficial), but I will spare you all my nitty-gritty details and summarize the decade as a rollercoaster ride full of:

• Tears & Cheers
• Messes & Successes
• Pain & Gain
• Screams & Dreams
• Valleys & Finales

Maybe you can relate. I know it may be an oversimplification, but these phrases capture many of the ups and downs of our daily lives, don’t they?

HOW GOD LED ME TO STUDY ESTHER IN THE BIBLE

Does a new year make you think of resolutions, goals, opportunities? Have you chosen your “one word”?

• Are you anxious or hopeful?
• Cautious or confident?
• Fearful or bold?
• Or maybe not much of anything?

Maybe your life does not always reflect the highs and lows I listed above…maybe you feel more like the “&” symbol in between. I get it. I think that is where we live out most of our days. Not always living in fear and doubt but also not believing and walking in bold faith.

But I want more, don’t you? A little push or nudge. Some motivation to get me going, change my attitude, and move me in the right direction.

In the past, I have started the new year by choosing specific words, phrases, and Bible verses. This year God has also given me a person and a story. Someone to give me the inspiration to kickstart my journey of walking in bold faith.

WHY QUEEN ESTHER IS MY HERO

The person who has inspired me to kickstart 2020 with bold faith is Queen Esther. Here is a brief summary of her story from The Bare Bones Bible Handbook by Jim George:

Esther is one of the two books in the Bible given a women’s name…Esther is a Jewish girl who by God’s sovereignty becomes queen of the vast Persian Empire that stretched from India to Ethiopia. In the midst of a desperate and seemingly hopeless crisis, Queen Esther exerts her influence and the Jewish people are save from annihilation.”

The Bare Bones Bible Handbook, p. 81

QUEEN ESTHER BIBLE STORY

I also highly recommend watching The Bible Project’s short video (less than 10 minutes) on the book of Esther.

If you have heard of the familiar phrase “for such a time as this,” it comes from a conversation Esther has with her cousin (and father figure), Mordecai.

Mordecai challenges Esther, an unlikely heroine because of her family background and Jewish ancestry, to step out in faith due to her unique position in the king’s harem.

‘Don’t think that just because you live in the king’s house you’re the one Jew who will get out of this alive. If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.’

Esther sent back her answer to Mordecai: ‘Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s forbidden. If I die, I die.’”

Esther 4:13-16 (The Message)

For such a time as this…

• Even if I stumble.
• Even if I fail.
• Even if I die.

WHAT ESTHER TEACHES US ABOUT HAVING BOLD FAITH

Maybe, just maybe, this new year, this new decade is your time. My time.

Can I be so bold as to challenge you as Mordecai did with Esther? 😉

If you go back and read the entire account, Esther did not say “yes” to Mordecai right away. She had her excuses. Her doubts. Her fears. Approaching the king without being summoned usually meant certain death. And her request–to save her people, the Jews–was a HUGE ask.

So what gave her the courage to rise up and recognize that this was her time?

I think the story of Esther gives us 4 fundamental principles that are useful in helping us kickstart a new year with bold faith.

LIFE LESSON #1 FROM ESTHER: BUILD FROM WHERE YOU ARE

Esther did not wait until the conditions were ideal, she felt ready and confident, or for the king to summon her. As Mordecai reminded her, she was living in the king’s house. God had put her in a unique place at a specific time in history and she had to build from there.

We need to stop using the excuses that we need more time, less stress, additional experience, or better circumstances to step out in faith. God has placed us exactly where he wants us, and we need to build and bloom where we are planted.

LIFE LESSON #2 FROM ESTHER: ORGANIZE A TEAM TO HELP YOU.

Yep, it is scary to step out in faith without backup support. And Esther knew this. She organized a team to pray and fast with and for her. Although Esther was the only one who had direct access to the king, she understood that she could not do this alone. She needed a team of faithful friends and family who would hold her up emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

We, too, should not be too proud to ask for help. If we want to take a risk and start something new this year, it would be wise to ask those who know and love us for support in all areas: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.

LIFE LESSON #3 FROM ESTHER: LISTEN TO TRUSTED ADVISORS.

Esther listened to the advice of her older, wiser cousin. He was on the outside of the king’s palace and could offer a different perspective. And although his message may have been hard for her to hear, she was open and receptive to his counsel because they had a relationship built on mutual trust and understanding.

Do we have people in our lives who know us enough to challenge us to take action when needed? To speak the truth in love? And do we have ears to listen when they speak? It is essential to not only surround ourselves with trusted advisors who have our best interests but also to listen when they offer direction and wisdom.

LIFE LESSON #4 FROM ESTHER: DECIDE TO TAKE A RISK AND ACT.

Once Esther realized her opportunity to make a difference, asked for the support of others, and listened to the wisdom of Mordecai, she decided to act. Make no mistake–Esther’s faith was not blind–it was bold. She counted the cost, even the cost of losing her life, and took the risk and acted. She was the only one who could decide to step out in faith…and she did.

We can do all the right things–make a plan, ask for help, and listen to others, but if we do not decide to act, we will remain stuck, helpless, and ineffective. That is why so many new year’s resolutions, goals, and plans fail. Many of us will start with good intentions, but if we never take the risk and decide to act, implement, and engage, we will fail to realize what God wants to do in and through us.

QUEEN ESTHER IS AN EXAMPLE OF BOLD FAITH

The only way to truly kickstart a new year is to ask God for bold faith. It is how we will be able to see clearly and walk confidently for “such a time as this” just as Esther did. God is eager to do a “new thing” in and through us, but we must decide to take a risk, step out, and act decisively.

If this post encouraged you in any way, would you mind leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, or even just letting a friend know? It would mean so very much to me!

And if you are not a fellow traveler here AT THE CROSSROADS, please join me on the journey by signing up today. It would be a privilege to walk alongside you into the new year with bold faith!

FREE FAITH PRINTABLES

I hope the above acrostic reminds you to step out in BOLD FAITH as Esther did. And if you are looking for more resources to help you on your faith journey, check out my FREE FAITH PRINTABLES page. You will find downloads to help you with prayer, soul care, and spiritual breakthroughs.