God never said answering His calling would be easy. In fact, most times we will be gripped by fear. However, there’s a special anointing in accepting God’s call for your life, and part of that anointing is the courage that comes when it’s time to step into your God-given destiny.
We’re not guided by certainty but by faith and trust in Him. You may not know the path you’re embarking on, but your faith lies in knowing and trusting your Guide.
Queen Esther is a great example of that.
A young queen who recently came to her position of great power and privilege knew that even her royal position wouldn’t save her if she turned her back on God’s calling to intercede for her people.
Pushing through the fear and doing it anyway means recognizing and acknowledging the risk she was taking, and accepting that she might pay with her life for answering God’s calling.
In Hebrew her words were: “Im avadeti, avadeti…” (“If I shall perish, I perish…”)
Esther, a young Jewish girl who became queen, became a testimony for all future generations of the importance of stepping outside of our comfort zone, taking courage and trusting fully in what God is calling you to do, even if you don’t know what the outcome will be. (“If I shall perish, I perish…”)
Accepting your calling means accepting your destiny, regardless of the outcome.
If Esther’s story teaches us anything, it’s that we’ll all come to a crossroads in our life, that moment when we have to risk it all just by standing for what is right; for God’s kingdom and for His people — the people of Israel, as unpopular or uncomfortable as it might be.
There couldn’t have been a more relevant message for our days. We see how the prophecies are being fulfilled as the nations are rising up against Israel.
However, Queen Esther showed us the way. Regardless of the risks, she accepted her calling despite being afraid. It wasn’t only about courage, it was about the actions that courage leads you to take.
Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a courageous person, by accepting God’s calling for your life, and standing for His Kingdom and His people, He will give you the necessary power, courage and wisdom to act and change circumstances around you, regardless of the cost.
That is what Purim’s message is all about: unimaginable courage under impossible circumstances.
