Daily Devotion 12 - Bravery
When this subject comes up, often Biblical characters like David facing Goliath or Moses standing up to Pharoah come to mind. Those were very brave men who definitely found confidence in the Lord to face mighty opponents. But today, I want to talk about Esther, her bravery, and how it relates to what we are facing today in the world.
The book of Esther in the Old Testament is an interesting story of true happenings in history that we can learn so much from. As the book unfolds, Esther....Queen Esther that is...finds herself in a position that she must speak to the King in order to save her people, the Israelites. Sometimes it can be very difficult to accurately summarize a book in the Bible, so I encourage you to use some of your reading time today to learn about this incredible story. It has everything in it that makes a story fun...drama, a bad guy who wants to hurt people, a beautiful Queen and, of course, a powerful King who rules the land.
So back to the story, Queen Esther had a difficult decision to make. She could stay quiet and watch her people be wiped out or approach the King to request that he spare her people. It seems like a simple decision on her part from our vantage point, but it was not! You see, the Queen was not allowed to approach the King with requests like this. In fact, she was not even allowed to approach him period without the King first beckoning her. It was against the law of the land. Esther was in a real pickle!
So Esther gathered up enough courage to take a chance...to show her bravery in the face of an uncertain fate. Does that sound familiar? It does to me. Can you think of anyone today that is showing bravery? It does not take too much thought to be reminded of all of the wonderful doctors, nurses & cleaning staff who are facing this horrible virus in the hospitals and treating the patients. They are incredibly brave! We have also been thinking about & praying for the police, fire and first responders to emergencies. They are so brave. So what makes them brave in our eyes?
Bravery is not just standing up for what is right. Please don't forget the “uncertainty” element to all of this. You see, by Queen Esther reaching out to the King and breaking the law by talking to him, she was taking a chance with an uncertain outcome. Our heroes today, some of which I just mentioned, are also taking chances against an invisible virus. But they, just like Esther, can place their trust in the Lord for His protection, His favor and His love to shine through them. Will you join us today as we pray for those brave heroes helping our communities today? Thank God for them and pray for them.
Coach Matt