HSBC Coffeebreak Devotional

"And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight, more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti."
Esther 2:17

Ah. A story that delights the female soul, that a king would desire you above all others in the land and make you his queen. I recently read a novel by Tommy Tenney called Hadassah; One Night with the King. It takes the story of Esther and creates a fascinating look at events surrounding the life of Esther.

Esther is everything females want to be. She is brave. She is beautiful. She is desirable, patient and wise. She is strong in her faith. However, when I read the story in its entirety, I find Esther was also things that weren't desirable. She was orphaned. How sad. No one wants that element in their Cinderella story. She wasn't the king's only lover. Ouch. No female anywhere wants that in her diary. She was forced to keep a secret that endangered her life. Hello, STRESS! While it makes for a good storyline, to live with that kind of stress, would have been horrible. Her faith in God remains evident and ultimately, it is her faith in God that is the reason this story has such a Cinderella, happily ever after element to it. She goes before the king knowing her life could (by the law) be ended in doing so. She puts her faith in God and in Esther 4:16 says, "I will go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish." She was strong in her faith. She knew she might die, but she wanted to do the right thing.

I, too, desire to remain strong in my faith, midst less than perfect circumstances in life, so that when I stand before my King, He will find favor in His sight.

Written by
Melody Foster