Speaking Boldly and Inspiring Courage

By Samantha Rodriguez

“Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.”—Esther 4:5–8 (NIV)

When I read this story, it’s hard to imagine what they must have felt. In Esther 4:3 (NIV), it describes there was “great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing.” Many were responding in the same way Mordecai did because this situation brought about not only frustration and confusion, but great grief and anxiety, too! These emotions and experiences are all something we can relate to, even if the circumstances are not exactly the same.

In today’s verse, Esther seems to be out of the loop. She doesn’t know why her cousin is mourning outside the palace, so she sends her servant, Hathak, to find out what was troubling him. Mordecai tells him everything and even gives him a copy of the edict so Esther can know in full detail the horror her people were facing. The last thing he tells Hathak to communicate to her is a command saying, “Go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for [your] people.”

Although the queen was normally not involved in the king’s professional life and it would be very dangerous for her to appeal to him without being prompted or called, Mordecai still tells Esther she should go plead on behalf of her people. He knows the dangers, but his faith is greater than his fear. Although Esther may be fearful, he shows great courage in his messages to her which will eventually inspire her to have courage as well! Mordecai displays great faith throughout this entire story with his actions. In the midst of his distress, he has faith that God is just and that He would be faithful to rescue His people like He has in the past. Perhaps it’s this knowledge that leads Mordecai to boldly encourage Esther to step up and speak.

Mordecai’s example is one we can learn a lot from. Although he was facing injustice, he looked for ways to fight it. He didn’t do anything carelessly or impulsively, yet he still considered what his role could be in standing for justice in whatever way God would have him to. The role Mordecai played may not be seen as important from the surface, but God actually used him mightily in the way he spoke truthfully and inspired courage within Esther.

We don’t always have a platform like Esther’s that gives us the chance to directly impact a person of influence, yet we still each have a voice that God wants to use to speak truth and inspire courage in others! Consider where God has placed you, and you’ll see there’s always a way for you to speak boldly and truthfully to those around you.

Pause: Take a moment and think about the circles of influence God has given you in this season. Consider who you can speak truth and life over or how God might be calling you to stand for truth in any of your circles of influence.

Practice: Take time today to speak truth and life over a friend. They don’t have to be struggling with anything in particular, just pray and ask God to show you who you can uplift today.

Pray: Father God, thank You for being our source of truth and life. We couldn’t know truth or experience life without You! Thank You for Christ, our Savior, who reconciled us back to Yourself. He rescued us and made a way for both justice and mercy to prevail. I ask You to help your people to be beacons of both justice and mercy in this world. May we speak boldly the truth You’ve given us, and may we encourage others with the way we speak truth and life boldly over them. Our lives are Yours, Father! Amen.