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The Faith To Begin

8/27/2016

14 Comments

 
One of my favorite women in the Bible is Esther.  Her story has so many detailed twists and turns.  Some, you may miss if you don't look closely.  

Some might say that Esther began her journey when she hid her identity and went to the King and was chosen as queen.  I don't agree.  I say Esther began her journey with her first decison to trust God.  That moment doesn't happen until Chapter 4 when her uncle Mordecai says the famous line, "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b)

We love that line.  It is a lovely motivational statement, but if you don't look closely you will miss what follows.  You will miss exactly how Esther made a personal choice to trust God.  Let's look at the text in Esther, her story is tucked in the Old Testament between Nehemiah and Job.

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
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The first decision Esther made was to pray.  Fasting is the deepest form of seeking God.  It means that you deny yourself earthly pleasures to focus on the will of God.  Praying, seeking Him, trusting Him to deliver the solution you need for the problems you face.  It is an act of surrender rooted in prayer.

I love that when Esther stepped out in faith she was all in.  She didn't just go somewhere and quietly pray-she called all the people to pray with her.  

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me."

Talk about a natural born leader.  Esther knew two things.  She knew she couldn't face the problem without a support system and that she needed to give others the opportunity to witness God's mighty power when He answered.
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Esther continues this bold move of faith with action.  Esther is one of the mothers of our faith that allowed James to preach the bold statement, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." (James 2:17 NIV)

Esther then committed to taking action.  She would approach the King, which normally meant a sure death, in faith that God would give her favor on behalf of the Jews.  Then Esther says something that is so endearing to me.  She becomes completely authentic and honest.

"When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

​If I perish, I perish.  How raw and honest.  How brave and vulnerable.  Esther is admitting that she is putting all her trust in God even though she doesn't know the outcome.  This is faith my friends.  This is faith in action.

​Most of us know how the story of Esther turns out.  She prevents a major holocaust of the Jews by making a decision to step out in faith.  That's it.  Just an ordinary girl making a brave choice to trust an extraordinary God.

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​What area of your life do you need to trust God with?  Is it trusting that if you walk away from an opportunity that God has something better in store for you?  Is it trusting God for a miracle in a situation that feels hopeless? Is it trusting your children will be fine with their new teacher?  Is it trusting your husband to parent in his own way rather than intervening.   For me it's all of the above and more.

Today I encourage you to follow the example of Esther.  Invite people into your story, pray, seek God, and then trust him to provide just what you need.
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14 Comments
Molly
8/29/2016 06:36:37 pm

Wonderful, Katie! And what great "today" examples of trusting God - trusting God with our husband's parenting style!

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Katie
8/30/2016 11:25:40 am

Thank you Molly! It is my heart to show women how to apply the Bible to modern day issues.

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Jamie
8/30/2016 09:08:31 am

Beautifully written.. Inspiring and joyful. Can't wait for the next:) xoxo

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Katie
8/30/2016 11:26:15 am

Thank you Miss Jamie! So happy you took a moment to read.

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Jessica link
8/30/2016 11:21:01 am

What a great read! Looking forward to reading more, Katie!

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Katie
8/30/2016 11:26:36 am

Thank you Jessica!

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Jenny
8/31/2016 04:57:40 am

What a beautiful message provided to me in God's perfect timing. Thank you for hearing His voice, and being an encouragement to so many ladies!

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Katie
9/8/2016 08:11:01 am

Thank you Jenny. I am so glad it blessed you!

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Sherry Stahl link
9/1/2016 06:40:46 am

Great post Katie! I love Esther's story. It's packed fun of life lessons. Your words are inspiring and practical enough to put in place.

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Sherry
9/8/2016 08:11:37 am

Thank you Sherry! Means a lot coming from you sweet lady!

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Tanya
9/11/2016 01:13:29 pm

Thanks Katie for sharing story of Esther and importance of our Trusting in our God who created us, knows our life situations and loves us. I've shared the link to your blog, many directions, knowing it will encourage others. Including a couple gals at Evergreen I know are struggling right now. Thank you again, very meaningful!

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Tanya
9/23/2016 08:20:17 pm

I think of you often and the folks at Evergreen. Thanks for reading and your kind words.

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Colleen link
11/14/2016 04:55:28 pm

Love the questions at the end. Trusting God with my kids is hard sometimes. But I know that he wants only good for them!

Thanks for writing this. :)

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Beverly
6/24/2017 10:59:29 pm

Thank you for such a needed read

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    I'm just a girl, standing before my God, knowing that He loves me and wanting others to know that love too.

    I do that by encouraging women to live with abundant faith in moments both big and small by helping women study and understand the living Word.

    When I am not blogging you will find me on nature walks with my kids, cooking with my hubby, serving at my local church or at my day job where I help ministries, christian artists & authors, and churches with their social strategies.

    You'll often find me wearing my mustard seed necklace as a reminder of the gift of faith God has graced me with.

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