Life on the Line
I’ve recently been studying the book of Esther. I found one of the most striking phrases that Esther utters is at the end of chapter 4, in verse 16: “…and if I perish, I perish.” Upon first reading this verse, I breezed right past. Then something tugged at me. After taking a second, third and even fourth look, these words have left a lasting impression on my heart.
Esther is literally putting her life on the line and taking a gigantic leap of faith to save her people. She is facing the potential genocide of her tribe. The worst case scenario she could imagine is a definite possibility. I can only speculate what her three days and nights of fasting and praying must have been like. Perhaps she had a conversation with God where He asked her, “And what if the worst does happen? Are you still going to believe? Am I not still good? Am I not still God?”
Whatever change in her heart occurred, we can see by Esther’s words that God’s faithfulness was behind her courage. She stepped out for her people not by her own strength, but by leaning on the everlasting arms of her Lord. Oh, to have such love for a people and such faith in my Savior!