Is God calling you to do something that scares you?
Have you ever looked at a daunting and dangerous task and wondered where you could find the courage to do it?
Perhaps that might help you, in a small way, to understand how Queen Esther must have felt when her cousin, Mordecai, told her that she had to risk her life to save her people (Esther 4:8-16).
Queen Esther had a choice. When Mordecai sent word to her about the great danger their people were facing, she could have simply tried to save herself. She could have kept quiet, just hoped for the best, or turned the other way.
But she and Mordecai both knew that God had given her a great purpose in her position. She was wise; she made a plan and didn’t stay stuck in fear or worry. She prayed and fasted, and she asked her people to do the same. She was willing to act, to follow God’s lead, and to save the lives of her people, even if it meant she might lose hers.
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘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 4:15-16 NIV
But Esther’s actions were not without risk. The penalty for approaching the king without being summoned was death.
Though our current situations may look different from what Esther faced, God can call us, too, to do things way outside of our comfort zone, possibly even putting ourselves at risk.
Obedience to His call is vital. It may even have the power to affect an entire generation. We may never be fully aware of how our actions and faithfulness to His voice are working so powerfully in those around us.
