Foreigners and StrangersEgzanp

Esther is part of two worlds in which she has little power. She is adopted by Mordecai and sent to the palace, and told not to reveal her Jewish ethnicity. We observe that Esther is passive, she is silent and obedient to Mordecai. Her silence and obedience continue in the palace where she follows Hegai and King Xerxes. 

The palace was a scary place; it was where Queen Vashti was punished for her rebellion, and women were to know their place in the Persian empire. 

But we see Esther transform from a passive object into someone whom Mordecai and the King listen to. She does this, not with power or directness, but through shrewdness and subversion for her people’s sake. The book shows us what God can do with someone who has little power in the worlds they inhabit.

Instead of power and greatness, in what ways could God use you to handle difficulties in life? 

Prayer

Almighty God, help us not to seek power and greatness in the world in order to change it, but rather, know that you have used people like Esther, someone in the margins, to create the biggest impact.