Applying the Old Testament to Your Life
Queen Esther: An Example of Faith, Courage, and Doing the Right Thing
When it’s difficult to do the right thing, we can look to Esther for an example of courage.
Queen Esther Saves Jehovah’s People, by Sam Lawlor
Can you imagine what it would have been like to be Queen Esther?
Queen Esther is my scripture hero. As someone who suffers from an anxiety disorder, I’m inspired by the idea of being able to stand with courage and faith.
As I was studying the life of Esther recently, something stuck out to me that I hadn’t noticed before. You probably know the gist of the story: Esther, the queen of Persia, was asked by her cousin Mordecai to go to the king and ask him to save her people, the Jews, as the king’s adviser had plotted to destroy all the Jews in the land. Since approaching the king without an invitation was a crime punishable by death at that time (see Esther 4:11), Esther had to exercise great courage to do so.
Though I’ve read Queen Esther’s story before, her courage stood out to me more in my recent study. While Mordecai encouraged and showed faith in Esther, he also trusted that someone else would save her people if she could not, saying: “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; … and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). Even though Esther had Mordecai’s support, she still had to choose to be the one to save her people. To me, having to make this choice would have made her situation more frightening.
Regardless, she chose to move forward in faith and asked Mordecai to gather the Jews together to fast for her. And what is most amazing to me is when she decides that “so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).
Esther prepared in every way she could and then chose to have faith in God, trusting that even if she was unsuccessful—even if she was put to death—she was doing the right thing.
The Blessings for Doing the Right Thing Are Miraculous
The circumstances of the world make it increasingly difficult for us as disciples of Christ to always choose what is right, especially in moments when the consequences might not be appealing. But as President Camille N. Johnson, Primary General President, said: “Of course, Esther’s level of courage is rarely asked of us. But letting God prevail … does require us to keep His commandments and the covenants we have made.”1
Most of us won’t experience the threat of death in doing the right thing like Esther did, but we will all have experiences that test and try us and our dedication to doing what God asks of us. We all have fears, anxieties, and trials in this life that make it difficult at times to put our faith in the Lord and trust that what He asks us to do is best. Sometimes doing the right thing requires courage, and sometimes it can be difficult or uncomfortable. But, like Queen Esther, we can have faith in God and draw strength from Him to choose to do what is right and keep our covenants and the commandments.
And when we do act with courage and faith, the blessings that follow are often miraculous.
Choosing to Serve
For me, it took Esther-like courage to choose to serve a mission. When I was deciding whether to go, I felt conflicted. I knew I could help others receive the gospel, but I also knew that other missionaries could too. Why was it so important that I chose to serve? I didn’t want to be away from my home and family, and I didn’t like the idea of talking to people I didn’t know. I felt like a mission was something I just couldn’t handle. I was unsure and overwhelmed.
But I knew serving a mission was what Heavenly Father wanted me to do, and I had faith that with His help, I could do whatever He asked of me. So, as scared as I was, I turned in my papers.
At that time, I didn’t know how things would work out for me. I didn’t know that I would end up serving a service mission, which would ease my anxieties by allowing me to share the gospel while still living at home. I didn’t know all the ways my mission would help me grow in confidence and faith, and that Heavenly Father wanted me to serve a mission to invite blessings into my life and enable me to bless others as well.
Even though I now know how my mission journey is unfolding, facing this choice before I knew what the results would be was terrifying. I was able to move forward only as I put my trust in the Lord.
We Can Find the Courage to Do What Is Right
We know how Esther’s story ends. The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, she convinced the king of the truth, and, ultimately, her actions saved her people. Queen Esther was, in fact, “come to the kingdom” (Esther 4:14) at exactly the right time and was the one meant to save them.
However, Esther didn’t know if things would work out in the moment, and we won’t always know how life is going to work out for us either. But I know that as we have faith and courage like Queen Esther’s, we can continue to do what is right, whatever the outcome may be. Whether it’s choosing to keep the commandments when it contradicts the world’s opinions or following the teachings of our prophets and apostles when it is unpopular, doing what’s right with faith will always bring about miracles and joy.
I want to be like my scripture hero, Queen Esther, and I know I can use her example to give me strength when I need it the most.