Esther 4:11-16 (RSV) 11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law; all alike are to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter that he may live. And I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days." 12 And they told Mor'decai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mor'decai told them to return answer to Esther, "Think not that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mor'decai, 16 "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law; and if I perish, I perish."
When facing difficulties or a difficult decision, all we may hear is the “maybe” that Esther heard: “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Who knows? We want some clear, convincing answer from God, but often all we receive is this murky maybe. In Esther, faith means we face the difficulty with all the dangers and risks inherent in doing that. “If I perish, I perish,” is not resignation or a passive giving in, but an honest willingness to face the situation with all the risk and with all the possibilities of doing what God wants. Her faith is the willingness to act, to do something, even when she is not sure she is right.
Her faith is what I call “plain faith,” which means we simply gather the best data we can get, pray, talk with others, make the best decision we know how at the time, and trust that God is sovereign. It is that underlying spirit of trust that distinguishes blind stumbling from walking in faith.
Esther’s plain faith is clothed in help that she receives from other people. Do we have any Mor’decais in our lives, someone who confronts, encourages, and even pressures us a little? Someone who will not allow us to become spiritual cowards, or turn our back on difficulties that need to be faced, who nudge us with love and understanding to take action, to do something, even if we may be wrong?
In addition to the Mor’deais, we need the “cloud of witnesses,” supportive people. We can become so focused that we overlook the many mere acquaintances who will welcome the opportunity to support us and help us in what we have to do. Esther calls on the many nameless people around her for help and support. Do you think God would give us any less? God is never more present and at work for us than in the midst of everything that seems to deny him.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope August 17, 1997
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
No comments:
Post a Comment