In episode 216, “Queen Esther”, Brooke & Faren discuss the meaning of Esther 4:14 when Esther speaks out to save her people. Hear how this Bible story helps us trust God’s timing and leverage the positions we’re in. We use our © Read Pray Talk Tell Method to discover ways we can practically live this scripture out in everyday life. The Kid Classics mini series begins on episode 209 and goes through episode 218 of the Witty & Gritty podcast.
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Read A Famous Pep Talk
Since last week’s episode, (David and Goliath), there have been seven books of the bible (lots of links below to help you catch up). We’re now diving into the book of Esther, and boy, it’s quite the rollercoaster of a story. The book of Esther is only ten chapters long, so we highly encourage you to read it when you have a few minutes.
We’re in 886-465 BC when King Xerxes is ruling in Susa. Things Xerxes likes to do:
- drink heavily
- be prideful
- show off his pretty things
- makes dumb, knee-jerk decisions
So basically, not so great a guy. In one of his drunken states, he wants to show off his wife, Queen Vashti, but she isn’t having it. Side note: you can’t say no the the king, so in a knee-jerk decision, King Xerxes says Queen Vashti is no longer queen. And in quick summary:
- Xerxes needs a queen
- He has a beauty contest
- Esther wins (and hides her Jewish heritage)
There is a big, bad guy in the story, Haman, and he wants to kill all the Jews (grude from long ago, tune into the episode). Haman is Xerxes’ best buddy, and in a drunken state, agrees to this genocide.
So, here we are in the story, Esther is now put in a situation to where she can either reveal who she truly is and attempt to save the lives of her people, or she can hide and watch her people die. This is when her uncle/godfather/mentor, Mordecai, gives her a (now famous) pep talk:
“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 4:14
Pray for Bold Action
Esther’s response (agreeing with Mordecai): “If I die, I die.” Now that’s bold, friends. Pray for this bold faith and action. It’s one thing to believe, but it’s another to act our of your belief. Queen Esther was in a position to speak up for her people, and she was willing to risk her life to do it.
God gives us a position, and it’s our job to leverage those positions for His glory. Whether it’s wife, mom, friend, CEO, etc…your position matters to God, and He has placed you there to steward His people.
Pray for Godly confidence to speak up for those who can’t, step up and fill the gap with what you’ve been given, and proclaim God’s name throughout the process. Will it be easy? No. Will it glorify God? Yes.
Talk, Fast, and Pray
As you read further after our scripture highlighted in the episode, you can see that Queen Esther steps into action, and calls upon her fellow believers to do the same. She encourages her people along the way, and we can certainly take some notes from her story. She asks her people to gather, fast, and pray. Christian community, praying and fasting on a focused cause. God sees that and honors that.
We’ll go the extra mile here and say, seek wise counsel on the matter you feel compelled to speak up against. It helps to have a trusted, outside perspective that can gauge whether you need to step back, see from a different angle, or wait and pray on it more. Wise counsel can save a whole lot of trouble when we are blinded unknowingly.
Tell
This week, we hit on tough topics like realigning priorities, trusting wiser experience, and remembering your role. These are hard for kiddos to grasp as they mature, so don’t stress if they don’t get it right away. If you are the adult in the advisory role, we give you a few phrases to model along your parenting journey. Tune into our “Queen Esther” episode to get details on the specifics.
- You’re not wrong, but how you’re saying it isnt’ helpful
- What have some other people tried?
- Remember your priorities over peer pressures
- Both choices are hard, but make the right choice
- If you see something, say something
- Your why is bigger than your uncomfortable feelings
We hope you enjoyed episode 216, “Queen Esther”, through our © Read Pray Talk Tell Method. Now it’s up to you to work through the Bible chapter discussed, pray about this verse using the prompts given, have biblical community around this verse, and go point others to Christ with the tips we give. Remember, when you read, pray, talk, tell consistently, you’ll grow your faith in God more deeply. Tune in next week to hear another breakdown of a Bible verse!
Links From the Show
- Kid Classics Mini Series
- Witty & Gritty on IG
- Click here for your FREE Guide
- Bible Project: 1 Samuel
- Bible Project: 2 Samuel
- Bible Project: 1 Kings & 2 Kings
- Bible Project 1 Chronicles & 2 Chronicles
- Bible Project: Ezra & Nehemiah
