Strong Women of the Bible Week 3 – Esther

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Sermon Bumper Video - Week 3 - Esther

Title of the Series

Strong Women of the Bible

Title of the message this Morning

Week 3 – Esther

Big Idea: 

God sovereignly positions His people in specific places and moments for a greater purpose, even when His presence seems hidden.

Esther’s story reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear, but the decision to act in faith when the stakes are high.

When we step into our God-given moment, we become part of His plan to bring deliverance and hope to others.

Prayer:

“Lord, help us to trust that You have placed us exactly where we are for a purpose.

Give us the courage to step forward in faith and be part of what You are doing, even when it feels uncertain or risky.”

Key Verse: Esther 4:14 —

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Main Scripture: Esther 4:12–16

Introduction

Over the past two weeks in this series, “Strong Women of the Bible”, we’ve been discovering that God’s definition of strength looks very different from the world’s.

With Deborah, we saw that strength begins with listening to God— being formed in private so you’re ready in the moment when it matters.

With Rahab, we saw that no past is too broken for God’s grace— that when you place your faith in Him, He doesn’t just rescue you…

He rewrites your story.

And now today, we take the next step.

Because once God has called you… and once He has redeemed you…the question becomes:

Why has He placed me where I am? What’s my purpose?

This is where Esther’s story meets us.

Because Esther’s life is not just about personal faith— it’s about divine positioning.

She finds herself in a place she never planned to be, in a role she never could have imagined, facing a moment that would determine the future of her people.

And here’s an interesting fact about the book of Esther:

God’s name is never mentioned…

There are no miracles recorded.

No burning bushes. No parted seas.

And yet— God is working behind the scenes the entire time.

He’s positioning, orchestrating, and preparing his people.

And when the moment comes, Esther is faced with a choice:

Will she stay silent and protect herself?

Or will she step forward in faith, risking everything, to be part of what God is doing?

Esther 4:14 says,

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

And that question isn’t just for Esther…

It’s for us too.

For us to consider the lives we have, the gifts we’ve been given, and the “positions” God has entrusted us with.

God can use all of it.

So today, we’re going to wrestle with this:

What does it look like to recognize the moment God has placed you in… and have the courage to step into it?

Because your “such a time as this” moment might be closer than you think…

Main Teaching

Before we see how Esther responds, we need to understand the moment she’s been placed in.

Because her courage didn’t come out of nowhere—it was shaped by the pressure, tension, and reality surrounding her.

So let’s step into the story and see how God was working, even when He seemed hidden.

Point 1: God Is Working Even When He Seems Hidden

As we step into the book of Esther, one of the first things we notice is what’s not there.

God’s name is never mentioned., and that seems pretty odd for any of the books in the bible.

No miracles, no direct words from the Lord, no prophets speaking on His behalf…

And yet, we see God all over this story.

He’s working all things together for good;

Esther 2:17 tells us,

“Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women… So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen.”

On the surface, this looks like coincidence.

A young Jewish woman happens to find favor with a powerful king.

But when you step back, you begin to see something deeper:

This is providential positioning.

Proverbs 21:1 says,

“In the Lord’s hand the king’s heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him.”

Even a king—one of the most powerful men in the world at that time— is not outside of God’s control.

God is positioning Esther.

But here’s what makes this moment so important:

Esther doesn’t fully understand what God is doing…

She’s been taken from her home.

Placed in a foreign palace.

Living in a culture that doesn’t reflect her faith.

And to make it even more complex,

Esther 2:10 tells us,

“Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background…”

She’s hidden herself and her identity is concealed.

From the outside, it might even look like compromise…

And yet—this is exactly where God has her.

Because in chapter 3, the tension rises.

A man named Haman rises to power and issues a decree to destroy all the Jews.

Esther 3:13 says,

“Dispatches were sent… to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day.”

This is the moment.

The crisis that reveals why Esther is where she is.

But here’s the truth we have to wrestle with:

God was already at work before the crisis ever came.

Positioning Esther.

Preparing her for the moment.

Setting the stage.

Even when it looked silent… even when it felt uncertain… even when His name wasn’t being spoken—God was working.

And that matters for us.

Because there are seasons in life where God feels quiet.

Maybe you’re in that season now?

Where you don’t see clear direction. Where you don’t hear obvious answers. Where nothing seems miraculous or dramatic.

And it’s easy in those moments to assume:

“Maybe God isn’t doing anything.”

But Esther’s story reminds us:

God is still working. Still positioning. Still preparing.

Even when you don’t see it.

Even when you don’t feel it.

And the place you’re in right now— as confusing, unexpected, or even uncomfortable as it may be—might be the very place where God is setting you up for something bigger than you can see.

Because before God ever calls you to step out in courage, He first positions you in the right place.

And that’s exactly what He’s doing with Esther.

Point 2: Courage Is Choosing Faith Over Fear When the Moment Comes

By the time we reach Esther chapter 4, the situation has become urgent.

The decree has gone out.

The fate of the Jewish people is sealed.

And Esther is sitting in the palace—safe, removed, and silent.

But then Mordecai sends her a message.

Esther 4:13–14 says,

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape… And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Here is another moment.

Everything in Esther’s life has been leading here— her position, her influence, her access.

And now she has a choice:

Will she stay silent and protect herself?

Or will she step forward and risk everything?

Because make no mistake—this is dangerous.

Esther 4:11 says,

“Any man or woman who approaches the king… without being summoned… will be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter.”

If she walks into that room uninvited, this could cost her life.

So let’s be clear about something:

Courage is not the absence of fear.

Esther is not standing there thinking, “This is easy.”

She understands the risk and she feels the weight.

But courage is the decision that something else matters more than your fear.

And in this moment, Esther chooses faith.

Esther 4:16—her response:

“Go, gather together all the Jews… and fast for me… When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

That is one of the most powerful statements of faith in all of Scripture.

No guarantees. No backup plan. No control over the outcome… Just obedience.

She’s saying,

“I’m going to trust God with my life.”

And this is what real courage looks like.

It’s not loud. It’s not reckless. It’s not pretending fear doesn’t exist.

It’s choosing to obey God in the presence of fear.

Joshua 1:9 says,

“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Esther doesn’t have that promise spoken directly to her in the moment— but she lives as if it’s true.

She steps forward, trusting that God is with her, even if she can’t see Him.

Point 3: God Uses Our Courage to Accomplish His Greater Purpose

As Esther steps forward in chapter 5, everything hangs in the balance.

She approaches the king—uninvited, exposed, completely dependent on his response.

Esther 5:2 says,

“When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter…”

In that moment, her life is spared.

But don’t miss what’s really happening:

This is God, working behind the scenes—just like He has been the entire time.

Proverbs 16:9 says,

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Esther took the step… but God determined the outcome.

And from there, the story begins to turn.

Through a series of events—strategic timing, unexpected reversals, sleepless nights, and divine irony—God flips the entire situation.

Haman, who had planned to destroy the Jews, is ultimately brought down by his own scheme.

Esther 7:3–4, she finally speaks:

“If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty… grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request.”

She uses her voice.

She steps fully into the moment.

And in Esther 7:10, we see the reversal:

“So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai.”

What was meant for destruction becomes deliverance.

What looked like the end of the story becomes a turning point.

And by the time you reach

Esther 9:1, it says:

“On the day when the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite happened.”

The opposite happened and that’s the kind of God we serve.

A God who reverses outcomes. A God who redeems situations. A God who works through courageous obedience to accomplish something far bigger than we can see.

Esther stepped forward thinking she might lose her life…

But God used her courage to save an entire people.

And here’s why that matters for us:

When God positions you in a moment, it’s rarely just about you.

It’s about what He wants to do through you.

Your obedience has impact beyond what you can see.

Your courage can open doors for others.

Your willingness to step forward can become part of someone else’s deliverance…

Ephesians 2:10 says,

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Prepared in advance…Just like Esther…

God had already been working— placing her, preparing her, positioning her—so that when the moment came, her courage would become part of His greater purpose.

And the same is true for us.

You are not where you are by accident.

And the moment in front of you might carry more weight than you realize.

Because when you step forward in faith, God doesn’t just meet you there—He uses it to accomplish something bigger than you ever imagined.

Conclusion

When you look at Esther’s story, the pattern becomes clear.

God was working even when He seemed hidden— positioning her, preparing her, placing her exactly where she needed to be.

Then the moment came— and Esther had to choose courage over comfort, faith over fear, obedience over safety.

And when she stepped forward, God used her courage to accomplish something far greater than herself— bringing deliverance, reversal, and hope to an entire people.

That’s the kind of God we serve.

A God who is always working… even when you don’t see Him.

A God who is always positioning… even when it doesn’t make sense.

A God who invites you into moments that matter.

So the question for us is the same question Esther had to answer:

Where has God placed me right now?

And more importantly— what am I doing with that placement?

Because it’s easy to dismiss where you are.

To think, “This is just my job… just my season… just my situation…”

But what if it’s more than that?

What if the place you’re in… the people around you… the opportunity in front of you…is your “such a time as this” moment?

You don’t need a title.

You don’t need perfect clarity.

You don’t need to have it all figured out.

You just need the courage to take the next step of obedience.

Because you don’t drift into purpose— you step into it.

And when you do, God meets you there and then He works through you in ways you never could have imagined…

And next week, we’re going to see this from yet another perspective.

Because if Esther’s story is about stepping into a moment of courage…

Mary’s story is about stepping into a life of surrender.

A young woman, living an ordinary life, suddenly receives an impossible calling from God.

And unlike Esther, where the moment builds over time—

Mary’s moment comes all at once.

Unexpected. Unplanned. Costly.

And what we’re going to see is this:

God doesn’t just position us for moments— sometimes He invites us into assignments that reshape our entire lives.

And the question Mary will force us to wrestle with is simple, but not easy: Will I trust God’s plan, even when it disrupts my own?

Because her response—

“May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38)

— is one of the most powerful acts of surrender in all of Scripture.

So don’t miss next week— because Mary’s story will challenge you not just to step into a moment… but to surrender your whole life to what God wants to do through you.

Let’s pray together.

Salvation:

The Word of God says in: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:13 NKJV

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you’d would like to receive Jesus today, please pray this prayer with all of us:

Lord I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died On the cross for my sins and His resurrection from the dead gives me eternal life. I ask forgiveness of my sins, and I accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Benediction

“Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

Have a Great Week! Goodbye!

This is Pastor Doc and Lady Pepper signing off until next time we meet. Blessings to you all!