Stepping Out of the Bunker: Courage, Faith, and the Call to Stand
There is a moment in every person's life when they are faced with a choice: stay safe inside the walls they have built around themselves, or step out into the unknown and act on what they believe. For many of us, that moment comes not once, but repeatedly. The question is not whether the moment will arrive. The question is whether we will have the courage to move when it does.
The book of Esther is one of the most remarkable documents in all of Scripture, not least because it never once mentions the name of God. And yet, on every page, the fingerprints of a sovereign and purposeful God are unmistakable. Esther chapter 5 brings us to a pivotal moment in the story, one that has profound things to say to anyone who has ever felt the weight of a calling they were not sure they could carry.
The Courage to Climb Out
Esther had every reason to stay where she was. As queen of the most powerful empire in the world, she occupied a position of relative safety and comfort. And yet, a decree had gone out to destroy her people, the Jewish people, and Mordecai had made clear to her in chapter 4 that silence was not a neutral option. Her family would be destroyed either way. The only question was whether she would act.
So she prepared herself. She initiated a three-day fast, abstaining from both food and water, along with Mordecai and all the Jews. This was not a casual spiritual exercise. This was the desperate, wholehearted seeking of a God she trusted with her life. Psalm 34 speaks of tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. Esther was doing exactly that, pressing into the goodness of God in the darkest moment she had ever faced.
Then she put on her royal robes and walked toward the throne room.
This is what courage looks like. Not the absence of fear, but the decision to act in spite of it. Courage is being afraid, knowing you are afraid, and stepping out in faith anyway.
Already Seated at the Throne
When Esther approached the king and found favor in his sight, something spiritually significant is illustrated for every believer. We who have placed our faith in Jesus have already found favor with God, not because of anything we have done, but entirely because of what Christ has done. Ephesians 2, verses 5 through 6 and verse 10, describes how God, even when we were dead in our sin, made us alive together with Christ, raised us up, and seated us with him in the heavenly places. And not only that, he prepared good works for us to walk in beforehand.
This is not a future promise waiting to be claimed. This is your present reality as a follower of Jesus. You are already raised. You are already seated. And because of that, Hebrews 4, verses 14 through 16, invites you to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in your time of need.
You are not knocking on a door hoping to be let in. You are already in the room. Draw near to the King who already knows you, already loves you, and has already made a way for you.
Dressed for the Battle
Before Esther put on her royal robes, she almost certainly wore something underneath them. That detail is easy to overlook, but it carries a powerful lesson. Many Christians are familiar with the armor of God described in Ephesians 6, verses 13 through 17: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. But Colossians 3, verses 12 through 13, describes something that goes on first, a kind of spiritual undergarment: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and above all, forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not saying that what someone did to you was acceptable. It is placing the moral debt they owe you at the feet of Jesus and trusting him to handle it. When we forgive, we free ourselves to fight the right enemy. There is no point putting on armor to do battle with the darkness if we are still at war with one another.
Resisting With Courage
While Esther was approaching the king, Mordecai was holding his own ground. Haman, a descendant of King Agag and a man filled with an ancient and consuming hatred, had already issued a decree for the destruction of the Jewish people. He had the authority of the king behind him. And yet, when Haman passed through the king's gate, Mordecai did not rise. He did not tremble. He resisted.
James 4, beginning at verse 7, lays out six actions that together constitute the act of resistance: submit to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, cleanse your hands, mourn over your sin, and humble yourself before the Lord. These are not passive postures. The Greek word for resist allows for aggressive action. You are not simply standing still and hoping the enemy passes by. You are actively opposing him, in the strength and authority that God provides.
The Sword We Carry
Of all the pieces of armor listed in Ephesians 6, only one is an offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And the word used there is the Greek word for spoken word. There is power in speaking the truth of God out loud, over yourself, over your family, and into the world around you.
The gospel, the evangelion, literally the good message, is what we carry into the darkness. Jesus himself declared it in Mark 1, verses 14 through 15: the kingdom of God is at hand. Not only coming, but present. Repent and believe.
The battle for souls is real. The darkness is real. But the God who prepared good works for you before you were born, who raised you and seated you with Christ, who promises that the flaming darts of the evil one will be extinguished by the shield of faith, that God has already overcome.
The question is simply this: will you step out of the bunker?
The book of Esther is one of the most remarkable documents in all of Scripture, not least because it never once mentions the name of God. And yet, on every page, the fingerprints of a sovereign and purposeful God are unmistakable. Esther chapter 5 brings us to a pivotal moment in the story, one that has profound things to say to anyone who has ever felt the weight of a calling they were not sure they could carry.
The Courage to Climb Out
Esther had every reason to stay where she was. As queen of the most powerful empire in the world, she occupied a position of relative safety and comfort. And yet, a decree had gone out to destroy her people, the Jewish people, and Mordecai had made clear to her in chapter 4 that silence was not a neutral option. Her family would be destroyed either way. The only question was whether she would act.
So she prepared herself. She initiated a three-day fast, abstaining from both food and water, along with Mordecai and all the Jews. This was not a casual spiritual exercise. This was the desperate, wholehearted seeking of a God she trusted with her life. Psalm 34 speaks of tasting and seeing that the Lord is good. Esther was doing exactly that, pressing into the goodness of God in the darkest moment she had ever faced.
Then she put on her royal robes and walked toward the throne room.
This is what courage looks like. Not the absence of fear, but the decision to act in spite of it. Courage is being afraid, knowing you are afraid, and stepping out in faith anyway.
Already Seated at the Throne
When Esther approached the king and found favor in his sight, something spiritually significant is illustrated for every believer. We who have placed our faith in Jesus have already found favor with God, not because of anything we have done, but entirely because of what Christ has done. Ephesians 2, verses 5 through 6 and verse 10, describes how God, even when we were dead in our sin, made us alive together with Christ, raised us up, and seated us with him in the heavenly places. And not only that, he prepared good works for us to walk in beforehand.
This is not a future promise waiting to be claimed. This is your present reality as a follower of Jesus. You are already raised. You are already seated. And because of that, Hebrews 4, verses 14 through 16, invites you to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, that you may receive mercy and find grace to help in your time of need.
You are not knocking on a door hoping to be let in. You are already in the room. Draw near to the King who already knows you, already loves you, and has already made a way for you.
Dressed for the Battle
Before Esther put on her royal robes, she almost certainly wore something underneath them. That detail is easy to overlook, but it carries a powerful lesson. Many Christians are familiar with the armor of God described in Ephesians 6, verses 13 through 17: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. But Colossians 3, verses 12 through 13, describes something that goes on first, a kind of spiritual undergarment: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and above all, forgiveness.
Forgiveness is not saying that what someone did to you was acceptable. It is placing the moral debt they owe you at the feet of Jesus and trusting him to handle it. When we forgive, we free ourselves to fight the right enemy. There is no point putting on armor to do battle with the darkness if we are still at war with one another.
Resisting With Courage
While Esther was approaching the king, Mordecai was holding his own ground. Haman, a descendant of King Agag and a man filled with an ancient and consuming hatred, had already issued a decree for the destruction of the Jewish people. He had the authority of the king behind him. And yet, when Haman passed through the king's gate, Mordecai did not rise. He did not tremble. He resisted.
James 4, beginning at verse 7, lays out six actions that together constitute the act of resistance: submit to God, resist the devil, draw near to God, cleanse your hands, mourn over your sin, and humble yourself before the Lord. These are not passive postures. The Greek word for resist allows for aggressive action. You are not simply standing still and hoping the enemy passes by. You are actively opposing him, in the strength and authority that God provides.
The Sword We Carry
Of all the pieces of armor listed in Ephesians 6, only one is an offensive weapon: the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And the word used there is the Greek word for spoken word. There is power in speaking the truth of God out loud, over yourself, over your family, and into the world around you.
The gospel, the evangelion, literally the good message, is what we carry into the darkness. Jesus himself declared it in Mark 1, verses 14 through 15: the kingdom of God is at hand. Not only coming, but present. Repent and believe.
The battle for souls is real. The darkness is real. But the God who prepared good works for you before you were born, who raised you and seated you with Christ, who promises that the flaming darts of the evil one will be extinguished by the shield of faith, that God has already overcome.
The question is simply this: will you step out of the bunker?
Posted in Book of Esther