Choose to Stand

King Ahasuerus was annoyed. Annoyed with this court. Annoyed with his advisers. Annoyed with the people. They were all one blunder away from really unleashing his anger. He flipped his hand towards a servant, motioning that his cup be refilled, and continued barking out orders and instructions. They were all moving in petrified obedience, not even daring to raise their face to his.

King Ahasuerus heard the doors open, and those towards the back of the court looked to see who dared enter, for he had not called anyone to the court. He heard a collective gasp, but could not see who they were staring at from his throne. Then the herald announced his visitor, "Queen Esther, your majesty."

Time seemed to slow down. The people parted from around her as water flows around a rock in the middle of a river. She looked beautiful! Her robes cascaded around her eloquently, and her head and throat sparkled from all the jewels, giving her the appearance of almost glowing.

And she looked right at him! Eyes staring deep into his soul. They spoke a message of determination, mixed with fear. She knew exactly what she was doing. She was here for a reason. Something great enough that it drove her to risk death itself, just for the chance to speak to him.

Should he be angry? In the past he would have been angry, had her executed. For a fleeting second, he struggled about what to do. Idiot. He chided himself. He loved her! He slowly started to smile, and let the emotion spread through him. Raising his scepter, he held it out towards her, as a beacon of love and life.

He watched in amusement and anguish as his queen stood there shell-shocked for a moment. She walked towards him, dignified and resplendent. She touched the tip of his scepter, looking at him in earnest, her eyes asking him, "What happens next?"

Boldly he declared, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom."

Based on Esther 5:2-3

In the book of Esther, King Ahasuerus makes very few decisions by himself. He had been letting his own rage, the pressure of how his wise men thought the kingdom should be run, and the evil motives of Haman dictate the show. You see this mighty king easily given to anger and peer pressure.  You don't see him make decisions all his own, from his heart, until Esther comes into the picture, and he chooses her.

King Ahasuerus makes a real stand when he spies Queen Esther standing in the court. He holds out his scepter to her, offering her life. He choose not to be offended at her blunt approach and obvious disregard for the law. If there were any advisers in the court who were offended, he chose not to listen to them. He chose love. He chose life. He chose to choose for himself.

"So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ." Ephesians 4:14-15

Are our decisions based on anger? Are they based on what other people think? Are they based on selfish motives? Who is really making the decisions in our lives? As the body of Christ, shouldn't our decisions be based on love, life, and becoming more like our Lord Jesus? If we really want to grow into Christ in every way, we can't let the devil's ploys manipulate and influence us.

For those reading this who want to choose, who don't want to hide, who want to live for God, this message is for you. Choose to stand. Choose to stand for real. Choose Christ. Don't let them manipulate you any longer. Today, you choose to stand for yourself, for Jesus, for life. Amen!