Mike Breaux - Don't Let Your Fears Hold You Back (01/13/2026)
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Summary:
Mike wraps up the «Fewer Regrets» series by diving into the book of Esther, showing how a young Jewish orphan became queen and found the guts to risk her life to save her people from genocide. The big idea is that God often places us exactly where we are «for such a time as this,» and real courage means choosing to act for others even when it’s terrifying, because self-preservation will always lead to regret. In the end, Esther’s bravery flips the script, Haman gets destroyed, the Jews are saved, and we see God’s hand all over it even though His name isn’t mentioned once.
Welcome and Series Wrap-Up
Welcome, welcome, all of our campuses, those of you that might be joining us online. So grateful for all y’all. My name is Mike, and I get to be on the teaching team here. It’s just one of the thrills of my life to get to do that. This is not only Super Bowl weekend; this is also prom weekend! I heard it was an amazing event, and thank you to all of you that made that a night to remember for all of our special guests and all their families. Such a cool event! And it is Super Bowl weekend, so who you got? Who you got for the Super Bowl? 49ers or Chiefs?
Now, if the Chiefs do lose, I’m sure they’ll be able to shake it off, shake it off. The chances of these same two teams getting back together is like, never, ever, ever. Sorry, I’m stupid. Honestly, I love football, and I’m excited to watch it all, but I am so much more fired up about what we get to do here every single weekend. We are wrapping up our series about living with fewer regrets. We’ve been trying to be proactive about our lives instead of looking back someday with a whole bunch of «Man, I wish I had done that. I wish I had done this.»
We’ve been talking about eliminating hurry in our lives. We talked about eliminating worry in our lives. Pastor Josh talked about the importance of being who God created you uniquely to be. Then, last weekend, we discussed living a life that is connected—yoked up, linked up, chained to healthy community. If you missed any of the weeks, I would encourage you to get online and check them out. I think it might be really helpful for you.
Today, I want to wrap this whole thing up by looking at this regret: «I wish I had more courage.» I wish I had more courage. Did anybody do any binge-watching during the cold, icy recent days? Maybe that series you’ve been hearing about on Netflix, Prime, Hulu, or Apple TV or whatever? The very first series I ever binge-watched was a series called 24. Does anybody remember that old, old show 24 with Jack Bauer? Debbie and I would watch until like 2 AM, and then we’d turn to each other and go, «You got one more?» «Yeah, I got one more.» «I got one more.»
So what I’d like to do today is binge-watch an incredible story of courage. This is like a riveting miniseries that’s got it all: wild parties, beauty pageants, murder, conspiracy, social networking, defiance, challenge, risk, courage, egos, triumph, defeat, and so many twists and turns. It’s the story of a brave woman named Esther, and you can find her story in the Old Testament section of the Bible. There is nothing boring about this girl’s story.
So what we’re going to do is try to watch all eight episodes together. We’re going to binge-watch this entire series in about 30 minutes. Y’all up for that? Here we go! Now we’re going to put the closed captions on the screens so you can track along.
Here we go.
Episode One: The Hangover
Episode one is «The Hangover.» Episode one introduces us to King Xerxes, the king of the Persian Empire, which was at the time the most powerful nation on Earth. This made him the most powerful man on Earth, and he’s throwing a party for all of his officials, all the nobles, all the provinces, all the military leaders, all the princes—everybody who was anybody was there at this party! This was the Super Bowl party of all parties, and it wasn’t just one night. It says in chapter 1:4, «For a full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth of his kingdom and the splendor and glory of his majesty.»
So, this party that Xerxes throws in honor of himself lasted half the year. If 180 days wasn’t long enough, then it was all over! The king throws another 7-day banquet for everyone living in the citadel of Susa, and by the king’s edict, no limits whatsoever were placed on drinking! Usually, invited guests could only drink when the king gave a toast, but not this week! Everyone is invited! It is a total open bar, and everyone is wasted away again in Margaritaville!
On the last day of the event, it says this: «When King Xerxes was in high spirits from wine…» You think? After 186 days of keger, he sends some of his men to go get the queen, Queen Vashti, and bring her out wearing the royal crown and nothing, nothing but the royal crown! Because he wanted the nobles and all the other men to gaze on her beauty, for she was a very beautiful woman. How sick is that? Any of you wish me down with that? Well, Queen Vashti isn’t either, so when they go to get her, she refuses to come and says, «You know what? I’m not doing that.»
By the way, sometimes your courage doesn’t make you the headliner in the story, but it paves the way for someone else, and that’s what happens with Vashti. «Brave? No, I’m not doing that.» So never discount taking a stand for what’s right in your life. Well, her defiance makes the king absolutely furious, and burning with anger, he goes to his advisers to figure out what he should do with Queen Vashti. They suggest that he have her banished and give her royal position to somebody else who is «better» than she, and you know what they meant by «better.»
So they proposed that a search should be made for all the young beautiful virgins in every province in Xerxes' realm. Bring in the best, give them beauty treatments, and then let the girl who pleases the king be the new queen. And it says this advice appealed to the king, you think? And he followed it, which brings us to episode two: «Project Runway.»
Episode Two: Project Runway
So we got all these beautiful young women being rounded up and brought to the citadel of Susa. I can only imagine how many! And check this out: it says this—before a girl’s turn came to go into King Xerxes, she had to complete 12 months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women: six months of oil of myrrh, six with perfumes and cosmetics. Twelve months—that’s a long time, and this wasn’t like getting to go to a great extended spa retreat. There was a whole lot of pressure on these girls—lots of pretty girls all in one place, all trying to get the same crown! Think about the jealousy, think about the competition, the backstabbing, the comparing going on. I mean, this was made for reality TV, and this guy’s not even a bachelor!
Well, among this group of young women is this girl named Esther, a Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai. Now, Mordecai is a Jewish man who had been taken captive from Jerusalem under the Babylonian rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. He is one of just many displaced Jewish people. They’re no longer in captivity, but they’re not really home anywhere. They’re just scattered throughout the region.
Verse 7 of chapter 2 says, «When her father and mother died, Mordecai adopted her into his family and raised her as his own daughter.» He loves this girl! In verse 11, it says that after Esther had been taken to the palace, every day Mordecai would take a walk near the courtyard of the harem to find out just how Esther’s getting along, what’s happening to her. So, Mordecai, as you can tell, is a really good dude. He cares very deeply about this girl and feels like it is his duty to protect her—that’s why he instructs Esther to keep her family background or Jewish heritage a secret, and so she does.
Well, guess what happens? Out of all the young women brought to Susa, verse 15 says, «Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone who saw her.» I love that phrase—just as she was. It seems like she wasn’t trying so hard; she just radiated from the inside out. Maybe that’s a good word for all of us. Esther, just as she was, won the admiration of everyone, including the king.
It’s been four years now since the night he banished Queen Vashti, and I’m sure there were hundreds, thousands of beautiful young girls he could have chosen in those four years, but it was finally Esther who wins his favor. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. At the end of the day, a Jewish orphan girl raised by her displaced cousin, maybe the most unlikely, was the one who received the rose!
Now, the story doesn’t end there for Esther with a happily-ever-after kind of ending. The plot thickens for this humble orphan girl turned queen.
Episode Three: Criminal Minds
We’re going to call episode three «Criminal Minds.» There are a few criminals in this story: you’ve got Big «H, » you’ve got Teresh, you’ve got Haman, and interestingly, Mordecai ends up being the lead investigator in each case. You see, Mordecai has this job at the king’s gate, and one day he overhears two of the king’s guards, Bigthan and Teresh, plotting to assassinate the king.
Well, Mordecai tells Esther, who relays it to the king, giving all the credit to Mordecai. When the report was investigated and found to be true, those two bad guys lose their lives. The end of verse 23 adds this: «This was all recorded in the book of the history of King Xerxes' reign.» Hang on to that one, because this kind of goes into Mordecai’s personnel file in the HR department. On such-and-such a date, Mordecai saved the king’s life.
Then there was the criminal mind of a man named Haman. Just like most villains in movies or novels, Haman was on the inside. He was the king’s right-hand man, the highest-ranking official in the empire, and he had an ego to match his position. His position was so high that when he passed by other officials, they all bowed down to him, except for this one guy. There is this Jewish man who worked the front gate that believed in only bowing to God—yep, you guessed it—Mordecai.
So, day after day, Haman passes by the king’s gate, and everybody bows down. Mordecai perhaps gives a smile and a nod of the head, but he doesn’t bow, and it makes Haman furious! In fact, he is so filled with rage that he decides he’s going to do something about it. Chapter 3:6 says he had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.
Talk about an overreaction! Talk about a criminal mind, an evil heart, and an ego that was completely out of control! So in the month of April, they cast lots—rolled the dice—to see which would be a good day on the calendar to annihilate the Jewish race. They landed on March 7th, almost a year later. Looks like a good day for an ethnic cleansing. The schedule’s free!
So, Haman goes and coerces the king to sign off on his plan, explaining to him that there’s this certain race of people out there. They’re scattered throughout all the provinces, and they’re different from everybody else. They keep separate. They have different laws. In fact, «Oh King, they refuse to obey your laws, » which was not true at all! He appeals to the king’s ego and convinces him that this race of people should be destroyed, and their money and belongings taken. The king agrees by telling Haman, «The money and the people are both yours to do as you see fit.»
So later that week, on April 17th, a decree is written, translated in the language of each province, and sent with messengers to deliver them, giving the order that all Jews—young and old, including women and children—must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day. This was scheduled to happen on March 7th of the next year. Wow! Can you imagine this? I mean, this is horrific!
Think about what it must have been like for the Jewish people that these messengers were coming to deliver the news, and on the front page it read, «On March 7th, every Jew, young and old, will be killed.» Can you imagine what it must have been like to have a date like that circled on your calendar? Eleven months to anticipate your death and the death of those closest to you. Eleven months to pack up and start running. But run to where? They had no real home.
As the news begins to spread, the entire Jewish community begins to weep and wail. They covered themselves in burlap and ashes, which was the traditional manner of brokenness and mourning. They were desperately crying out to God to intercede on their behalf. And it says when Mordecai learned about all that had been done, he tore his clothes and put on burlap and ashes and went out into the city crying with a loud and bitter wail.
Well, this news about Mordecai weeping and wailing and in sackcloth travels to Esther, so she sends a messenger, Hathach, to find out what in the world is wrong with her dear cousin, her adopted father, Mordecai. He relays the entire story to the messenger and tells the messenger, «Go back to Esther and tell her she needs to go to the king and beg for mercy and plead for her people.»
Esther sends back a reply that went something like this: «You’ve got to be kidding me! I can’t do that! Everybody knows that to go to the king uninvited is against the law. The punishment is death! I mean, the only exception is if the king holds out his golden scepter as an invitation, and I don’t see that happening! I mean, we’ve been married for five years. The king hasn’t asked for me in like 30 days if you know what I’m saying. It’s not a real good time for me to reveal my secret heritage or to ask the king for any favors. This is way too risky. This is way too much of an ask for me.»
Esther had to believe that her response would be sufficient because Mordecai would understand. Surely, after all, he loved her. He saw himself as her protector. There’s no way he would actually expect her to take a risk like that. So, Mordecai sends back this reply to Esther: «Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. 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?»
Not exactly what Esther was expecting to hear. Mordecai is reminding her that although she is queen and living a plush, sheltered life on the inside of the palace with maids and servants and a walking closet full of designer clothes, she is still Jewish, and this decree applies to her as well. Even if she does escape it, those closest to her will not.
So, he asks her to find some courage and says, «Don’t shrink back. Don’t take the easy way out.» He challenges her by saying, «Who knows? Maybe you were selected. Maybe you are in the palace right now for such a time as this.»
Gang, the opposite of courage is not fear; it’s self-preservation. It’s wanting to protect ourselves, shield ourselves, keep ourselves safe and comfortable. Ever been there? Man, I have! I like what Dr. Karen Jobes writes. She says, «Esther had to overcome herself in order to do what God had created her and positioned her to do.» Ever had to overcome yourself? I have, almost every day of my life. I’m learning that we can refuse to obey God or cower in fear from our calling, and God’s still going to accomplish His agenda.
I mean, just like Mordecai said, «If you don’t do this, it will arise from another place.» God will accomplish His plan. You see, Mordecai remembered that God had made a covenant with Abraham, that He was going to bless the entire world through the Jewish nation. A savior, a deliverer for the entire world would come through them. So Mordecai knew that somehow God was still going to accomplish His long-term plans.
But what happens is that you and I pass up the fulfillment of our own life purpose, and maybe even those closest to us miss out on an incredible work that God wanted to do in and through our lives. Erwin McManus puts it this way: «If you wait for guarantees, the only thing that will be guaranteed is that you will miss endless divine opportunities.» We all want miracles and then spend our lives avoiding the context in which miracles happen.
Gang, I don’t want to look back on my life with regret and say I avoided a bunch of divine opportunities because I was too afraid. In fact, we all need to take some courage these days. If you’re a new parent or you’re the parent of an elementary kid, a middle school kid, a high school student, I know that can be a scary calling. There aren’t a lot of guarantees; there’s definitely some uncertainty with that, but I’m just pleading with you: don’t back down from that. Don’t take the easy way out! Be courageous, because God has placed you in that boy’s life and in that girl’s life for such a time as this.
If you’re a boss, if you’re a business leader, and things are a little tight right now, a little uncertain, and there are definitely some opportunities to keep things going up and to the right if you’re just a little less than honest about some things, but come on! Don’t settle for that. Be brave! Perhaps you are that integrity-filled, faith-filled leader for such a time as this.
If you’re a college student, high school student, middle school student, and you know that God is asking you to lovingly and courageously stand for Him in your dorm, your fraternity, your locker room, lunchroom, or classroom, and there might be some ridicule, there might be some exclusion, things might get pretty hard for you, but don’t shrink back! Be kind, be humble, be gracious, but be brave! Perhaps God put you in that school for such a time as this.
And maybe you have sensed God asking you to do something that seems like, «Oh, that’s just way too big of an ask, God! The timing is not real great. It would really make things uncomfortable. There seem to be way too many obstacles. It’s going to create a little chaos in my routine.» Listen, don’t think for a second that God asks only other people to take risks and He wouldn’t ask you to do something risky. He would! He does! And who knows, you just might be the man or might be the woman that God put in that situation for such a time as this!
See, Esther had a choice. Courage is always a choice.
Episode Four: Braveheart
So let’s just call episode four «Braveheart.» After hearing Mordecai’s «for such a time as this» speech, there’s an internal shift in Esther. She sends back a message telling Mordecai to have the Jewish people fast and pray for her for three days. By the way, never underestimate asking people to pray for you when you need some courage in your life. And she tells him, «When this is done, I will go to the king even though it’s against the law, and if I perish, then I perish.»
I mean, this is so cool! She goes from, «This is way too big of an ask of me! This is way too risky! This is way too much! This really isn’t a good time!» to «Mordecai, you know what? You’re right! Perhaps this is the reason I’m here! If not me, then who? If not now, then when? I have to do this! I am the only one who can go to the king! And if I perish, well, I’ll perish.»
I mean, this is so cool! How she moves from the mindset of self-preservation to bold courage! And she could have chickened out! She could have stayed comfortable in a royal room. She could have played it safe and just seen how it all played out, but she doesn’t do that.
And listen, you might be sitting there already full of regret for all the opportunities you think you may have missed out on and all the times in the past where you have chosen comfort over courage and character. I’ve got a few regrets like that myself, but I’m just telling you, no matter how big of a coward you may have been in the past, no matter how far away from the opportunity you might have run, no matter how inadequate or underqualified you may feel, no matter how much of your life you have lived in self-preservation mode, you too could be just one brave decision away from breaking that same old storyline and plunging your life into a brand new adventure of faith, freedom, hope, courage, and purpose.
I can just tell you from experience, my life and character have grown in direct proportion to my courage—the times I have just taken a deep breath, swallowed really hard, and walked to the edge of all the knowledge I had, and then just stepped out in faith, following the lead of Jesus. Man, I look back on those times and think of all the adventures I would have missed out on if I had decided just to play it safe and maintain my comfort!
My wife, Deb, and I did a Bible study several years ago where there was a little fill-in-the-blanks exercise that has really helped us with all of this. You see, Esther had to fill in the blanks too. She said those powerful words in verse 16, «If I perish, then I perish.» Using that sentence, I want us to think about our own fill-in-the-blanks for a second. The blank is like this: «If __________, then __________.»
In that first blank, think about a fear that you have. It could be your worst fear, a current fear, or a recurring fear, but think about a fear that you’ve got for that first blank. «If the biopsy comes back positive, if the bank forecloses on our home, if I’m pregnant, if she files for divorce"—just put your greatest fear in that first blank.
Let me tell you what our enemy wants us to think аbout: he wants us to obsess about that first blank. He wants it to mess with us. He wants us to start believing, «If ________ happens, then I’m done! There’s no way I’ll ever be able to recover! There’s no way I’m going to be able to get back up from ________ happening!»
That’s why it’s so crucial to fill in the second blank before you ever fill in the first blank. Because no matter what goes into that first blank, this is what we have to put in that second blank way ahead of time: «If __________, then God.»
If my worst fears happen, well then, God! He will be enough for me. He will pick me back up. He will be my strength. He will be all that He says He will be, and He will do all that He promises to do because my God is bigger than my ________. And that’s Esther’s resolve!
Episode Five: Shark Tank
Episode five: «Shark Tank.» Ever seen those entrepreneurs on that show walk in front of all the sharks sitting there and make this rehearsed sales pitch? They’re so nervous when they do it! I cannot imagine what is going through Esther’s mind. Now, Mordecai told Esther what to do, but not how to do it.
In fact, he had coached her even to—when you go in there, make sure you beg and plead before the king. However, she does not come to the king as a beggar. She doesn’t come with a cheesy memorized sales pitch either. She doesn’t choose to wear some kind of sexy lingerie as a member of his harem or even as his wife. Instead, she gets dressed in her royal robes and confidently walks down the hall as the Queen of the Persian Empire! That’s just so cool to me.
Can you imagine her walking down that hallway? With each step, she’s getting closer and closer to the king seeing her. Remember, to come uninvited was a capital offense! I bet she knew that. She stopped for a minute. She’s going to run back to her room, but she doesn’t stop. Just step after fearful step, she keeps on walking.
You see, courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s moving ahead in spite of the fear! As she comes into full view, the guards—the Secret Service kind of guys—they’re ready to pounce on her, ready to take her out before she can reach the king. But the king takes a look at her—dressed in her royal robes, he sees her clothed with confidence—and he stops the guards and holds out his golden scepter and asks her, «What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? Just ask, and it is yours!»
Esther responds, «If it pleases the king, let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.» And the king says, «Okay, you know me, I love a good party! You got it!»
So, the king calls for Haman, the villain of the story, the hater of Mordecai, the future annihilator of the Jews. He calls for them to go to the banquet that Esther had prepared. It’s there the king asks her again, «You got to tell me, Queen Esther, what is it that you want? I mean, just ask, and it is yours.»
And Esther says, «Well, let’s talk about it later. Why don’t the two of you come back again tomorrow for another banquet?» And the king agrees.
Now, there are lots of theories on why Esther did not make her request at the first banquet. Some just think she flat-out chickened out and just couldn’t do it. Others think she was over-anxious and didn’t feel like it was the right timing. Some even think that she was trying to make the king suspicious as to why she kept inviting Haman, trying to make the king jealous. But I think she was just playing brilliantly to keep the king hanging on the edge of intrigue!
So the king leaves the banquet very intrigued, and Esther leaves the banquet full of courage for the next day. And Haman—oh, Haman—he leaves the banquet so full of himself. He is so pumped up about having dinner with the royal family and being invited back again the next day. He was in it, said he left the banquet happy and in high spirits.
However, all that changes when he has to walk past the king’s gate and see once again that Mordecai character still refusing to bow to his greatness. Well, Haman goes home, and if his day hadn’t been eventful enough, he throws another party at his own house to brag to his wife and friends about all of his wining and dining with the king and the queen! He tells them, «You know what? I’m the only one! I’m the only one the queen invited! This has been one awesome day! Man, I was feeling so good about myself, and then on the way home, my day was ruined once again when I had to walk by that stupid Jew, Mordecai! I cannot stand that guy!»
So his wife and friends throw out, «Well, you know what you need to do? Just have a gallows built 75 feet high and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it, and then go with the king to dinner and be happy!» This suggestion, it says, delighted Haman, and he had the gallows built—all right.
Episode Six: Insomnia
Episode six, here we go: «Insomnia» or «Sleepless in Susa.» That night, it says in chapter 6, the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. This is just funny to me! The king goes, «I can’t sleep, let’s read a book about me!» And guess which story is read? The story that gets read is the one about Mordecai saving the king’s life from those two guards who were plotting to kill him!
The king asks the attendant that was reading, «Did we ever do anything for him? What recognition, what reward did we give to Mordecai for doing this?» And they reply, «Well, actually nothing! I mean, nothing was really ever done for him.»
And then the king hears someone in the outer court, and the king says, «Who’s in the court now?» It says this: «Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected for him.»
So the king says to Haman, «Hey, glad you stopped by! I was just wondering about something! I’d love to get your input. What should I do for someone I want to honor?» And of course, with his huge ego, Haman thinks to himself, «Who would the king want to honor other than me?»
So he says, «Well, here’s a thought! I think you ought to bring in the royal robe, grab the king’s horse, and put a royal crest on his head, and then let the most noble princes lead him through the street, shouting, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor! ’»
And the king says, «That is a great idea! Quick, bring the robes and my horse and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew who sits at the gate of the palace! Leave out nothing you suggest!» I mean, you can’t make this stuff up! It’s so awesome!
And Haman has to do it. Man, I wish I could have been there! Verse 12 says, «Afterward, Mordecai returned to the palace gate, but Haman hurried home dejected and completely humiliated.»
Episode Seven: Flip or Flop
That’s why episode seven is «Flip or Flop.» The script is beginning to flip, and Haman is feeling the flop! He is humiliated and dejected and reeling a bit about how his plan is coming unraveled. So he goes to this second banquet that Esther had prepared for him and the king, and as they’re sitting there, the king, who is now at a peak of curiosity, asks once again, «Come on, Queen Esther! What’s on your mind? Whatever you need, just ask, and it is yours!»
This time, Esther takes a deep breath and says with humility and courage, «Great king, if I have found favor with you, grant me this: I’m asking you to spare my life, spare my people, for we have been sold for destruction, slaughter, and annihilation.»
And the king says, «What? By whom? Who would do that? Where is the man who would dare do such a thing?» And Esther says, «He’s sitting right there! This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy!» And Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen.
Well, the king goes off. This was a high-ranking official! How could somebody on the inside do something like this? So Xerxes steps outside to the garden to cool off for a while, and while he is gone, Haman begins to beg Esther for his life. It says, «In despair, he falls on the couch where Queen Esther was reclining just as the king was returning from the palace garden.»
So the king walks back into this scene, and it’s kind of like a «Hey, get off my wife!» kind of scene. He says, «Will Haman even molest the queen while she’s with me in my own house?» It’s not looking good for Haman here.
One of the attendants, standing nearby, seeing the king’s rage, has a suggestion. He says, «Excuse me, King, but were you aware that a gallows 75 feet high stands by Haman’s house? He had it made for Mordecai, the one who spoke up to help the king.»
And the king said, «Hang him on it!» And so they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. This is unreal!
Episode Eight: Undercover Boss
All right, it’s getting late. You got one more? One more? Here we go! Final episode: episode eight, «Undercover Boss.» On that same day, the king gives Esther all of Haman’s estate, and Esther places Mordecai over it all. Because the king had already signed the edict against the Jews, he could not revoke it.
So he has Mordecai issue a new decree that was again translated and sent out to all the provinces, and the headline read, «On March 7th, Jews of every city have the right to assemble and protect themselves, to destroy and kill any armed force, nationality, or province that might attack them.»
So on March 7th, the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened! It was the Jews that overpowered their enemies!
Now, I’m calling episode eight «Undercover Boss» because while both Mordecai and Esther displayed some unbelievable courage and leadership, the architect of this whole thing is totally behind the scenes. One of the most intriguing things about the Book of Esther is that God’s name is never mentioned in it. But don’t confuse God’s name not being in it with God not being in it. He is all over this story!
I mean, just like with every great drama, behind the scenes, there’s a writer, a producer, there’s a director who knows every scene, is involved in every line, sees every angle, is in complete control of the story. And listen to me: Spielberg, Scorsese, Spike Lee, Ron Howard—they got nothing on our God!
I mean, could it just so happen that Vashti is banished at the very time when Esther is the right age to be picked for the childouts? I mean, could it just so happen that out of all the thousands of beautiful women coming to the king for four years, Esther, the orphan Jewish girl, is the one who is chosen?
Could it just so happen that the Jewish nation would face annihilation at the exact time the queen happens to be Jewish? Could it just so happen that although it was against the law and the king didn’t have a reputation for tolerating disrespectful wives, that Esther would win his favor?
Could it just so happen that while a plot is being carried out to kill Mordecai, the king has a sleepless night and his bedtime story is about the day Mordecai saved his life? Could it just so happen that the gallows for Haman were already built by none other than Haman himself?
Could it just so happen that all of this would take place at a time when the Jewish community was scattered and displaced, that they would come together and become strong again? No way! That is God! That is God working behind the scenes in everything!
And I think God chose to inspire this story without His name being mentioned so that you and I could take courage when we can’t see Him. And maybe you’ve been through seasons in your life where you could not figure out how God was working, what He was doing, but now you look back and you see His hand all over it.
Or maybe you’re going through something right now, and for the life of you, you cannot figure out where God is in your story. You can’t seem to find His involvement! And gang, I think He gave us the story of Esther so that we would know that even when we can’t see Him on the page, He’s right there, right where you are right now, working in the dark.
Don’t be afraid! Be brave! Walk in faith! You’re not alone! When fear grips you and insecurity holds you, know that He equips you to walk through that door. When shame makes you pause to keep you from the cause, when no one stands with you, know that He does. When the past screams, «Who are you to do such a thing?» know that there’s one who’s behind the scenes, giving you courage, the power, the words, the resolve to stand in His love against all odds.
To remind you of who you are—that you are now His and you have been made for such a time as this!
Closing Prayer
Let’s pray together.
Father, I just want to thank You for this incredible story, and I thank You for the way that You do work behind the scenes in our lives, that even though we can’t trace it all, we know, because You promise and You keep Your word. You never break a promise; You never break a covenant.
Thank You for the way You’re working behind the scenes in so many people’s lives right now, God. I pray that today this story would inspire us to walk by faith, to take courage, and to move ahead in spite of the fear—to know that You’re walking with us, God. I thank You especially for this story because, because of Esther’s faith and her courage, the Jewish nation would thrive, and a savior would come, and all of us would get to live forever because of Him.
So grateful for courageous men and women! Help us to be the same so we’ll never look back in our life and say, «Man, I wish I had more faith; I wish I had more courage.» We want to walk in faith today, and I pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.