Be Esther Wearing the Armor

Two of my favorite passages in the Bible are Esther 4:14 and Ephesians 6:10-18.

The Queen

Esther was an incredible young lady with the opportunity of a lifetime. She was thrust into the role of being queen. At the time, she was probably scared, confused, and wondering why on earth she would be chosen out of all of the girls the king could’ve chosen. The thing is, Esther wasn’t just chosen by King Xerxes, she was chosen by the King of Kings, Jesus Christ, and she was chosen for a reason. She would be the one to save the Jews, her people, from a brutal genocide. She saved them by having courage. However, it took some pretty strong words from her cousin to hype her up: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.” –Esther 4:14 (Biblegateway.com)

Mordecai puts things into perspective. Esther was made queen to save her people. And save them she did. The very man that wanted to see her and her people dead, is the one who ended up dead in the end. Esther’s people were saved.

The Armor

Ephesians 6:10-18 talks about the different aspects of the armor of God. The belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sword of the spirit, shield of faith, shoes of peace, helmet of salvation, sword of the Spirit. These are the weapons Christians have to defeat everything Satan throws our way. They are real, powerful, and effective.

So how do these two things correlate?

You

Sometimes we need a visual, a story, or an encouragement of some sort to get us through. What’s cool is the armor of God is from God himself, and the story of Esther is true. But here’s the deal, the Christian walk is a war we need to fight. We need to have the courage, boldness, and bravery of Esther, while holding onto grace, truth, and kindness. This can be very hard to do without putting on the armor. Why would we willingly go in to battle without putting on the gear that would save our lives? Easier said than done, right? When we do these two things, we are a force to be reckoned with. Now, I am not saying life is going to be easy and nothing bad is going to happen.

On the contrary, the harder you fight, and the firmer you stand, the worse things may get. But remember Esther, she had the lives of a whole people group resting on her shoulders. She had a choice and so do you. She could have done nothing, made excuses and given up. But she didn’t. She did what was right and it was worth it. No matter what you are feeling right now, or what you are going through, you are where you are for a reason. You have the choice to see the bad, feel the weight and let it drag you down, or you can hold your head up, stand strong, and look for what you can do to make the best of your circumstance and make a difference, in your life, and maybe in the life of someone else. So, starting now, be an Esther, wearing the Armor. You have God, courage, and the weapons needed to win, face your trial, and be you to the fullest. You’ve got this.