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Did you know that Black Bart was a real person? He was a thief whose very name struck fear as he terrorized the Wells Fargo stagecoaches from San Francisco to New York. His name became synonymous with the danger of the frontier. Between 1875 and 1883 he robbed twenty-nine different stagecoach crews. But amazingly, Bart did it all without firing a shot. He never took a hostage and was never trailed by a sheriff. Instead, Black Bart used fear to paralyze his victims.

Fear is one of the tools that the enemy puts in front of us. Fear’s goal is to stop us in our tracks, and to keep us from doing the will of our Father. The good news for us is that our Father God makes a way for you and I to experience victory over our fears.

We are halfway through the book of Esther, and God has been showing us His power and His providence. Even though God’s name is not in the book, He is there. He is present in this story, and He is also present in our story, and because of that we do not need to fear.

Today we come to chapter 5, Esther begins to work out her plan to try to convince the king to save the Jews. Over three days the people of God have been interceding on Esther's behalf. They have been asking God to give Esther favor. Esther goes forth in faith. The author is setting up for us the danger of the situation that Esther is about to walk into. Yet, she is going to be obedient.

Main Point: Esther fasts and prays, and then she obeys. Esther stands up in the inner court. You may remember that in chapter 4, Esther says that “Anyone who goes to the king unannounced, will die, unless the king extends grace, by extending the golden scepter.” Now we know the whole story, but Esther sure did not. She is walking in faith and obedience, doing what God has called her to do. That, my friends, is what a disciple looks like. This decision may cost her life. It may cost her the royal robes that she has just put on. She may be banished to the harem for the rest of her life. Yet she is willing to count the cost and obey.

Friends, there is a cost to discipleship. He will call you to make a sacrifice, and you are called to count the cost and obey. Jesus tells us to count the cost in Luke 14:28-33. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to count the cost, then to follow no matter the cost.

Esther is willing to pay the ultimate price, but thankfully she does not have to. The author builds up suspense for us. What will the king do in this situation? Well, when the king saw Esther standing in the court, the king could have killed her, but instead He extends his scepter. You see, when we walk forward in obedience, God always gives grace. Now, not always in this way. If her life had been taken, God still would have been giving grace by the very fact that she was a child of God.

Friends, no matter what God calls you into, He has extended His grace to you through Jesus Christ. If you have received Christ, trusted and believe in Him, then your eternal destiny is secured. Therefore, whatever God calls you into, He is with you. He extends grace to you. That is what we see in Esther.

It’s more dangerous to run from God than it is to follow God, and Esther follows and obeys. Then the king asked Esther what was her request? Esther was given the perfect opportunity to plead for her people. That is what the reader is expecting, but it is not what she does.

“If it pleases the king. Let the king and Haman come today for a feast that I have prepared for the King.” That does not make any sense! We know what she wants; she wants her people saved, but that’s not what she asked, at this point. Esther is moving with caution and wisdom: she is moving according to the way that God is leading her. Truth is that the way God leads us is not always the quickest, nor the most natural way, nor the way that we would expect. But God’s perfect plan has perfect timing.

But the scene transitions here to Haman; he is walking out of the party. Haman was on top of the world, excited about everything, and then one circumstance flips his world upside down. He goes from heart filled with gladness to one filled with wrath in a matter of seconds. Why? Because Haman saw Mordecai and he did not respond to Haman at all. So, Haman goes home and seeks his wife and friends’ affection. Haman recounted his prideful splendor. But none of this means anything because Mordecai is alive. If joy is not found in your circumstances, it can be easily lost. But if your joy is found Christ, it will never be lost.

Let me give you one point of application from this text quickly. Always trust God's timing.

Psalm 119:105 says. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

The thing about a lamp: a lamp is not a map; it does not show you the whole path. The lamp just shows you what your next step is. And God through His word gives us wisdom, direction, and allows us to make the next few steps. But we must trust and obey God. God does not reveal the whole plan to us. It would be great to know how our story fits together in His plan. But we do not have that. That is why we have God’s Word. To remind us of when we are struggling to look back into Esther and to see that God is faithful. God's faithful; He is perfect in His plan and timing. So, walk in obedience. Let His Word be a lamp unto your feet. Walk in obedience. Trust Him, trust His timing, trust His plan.

Until Next Week When We Meet at the P.E.W.

(Pastor’s Encouragement Weekly)

Pastor Joel