Summoned: Answering a Call to the ImpossibleSample

Summoned to See

I wholeheartedly believe that if Esther had failed her mission, God would not have failed His.

He is capable of working His purposes in and through the lives of His people. But in this case, Esther willingly played a part in God’s saving plan for His people. With her, God delivered His people and made it possible for the temple to be rebuilt. Through God’s provision, Esther led the charge for the re-establishment of God’s people.

Approximately twenty years later, Ezra would return to Jerusalem. Thirteen years after that, Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem. Nehemiah, who led the effort to rebuild the city walls of Jerusalem, served King Ahasuerus’s son (Artaxerxes) as a cupbearer. What do you think Esther’s influence must have been at the Persian court?

Women have a calling on their lives from the Lord that is alive and well. God uses women and calls them to come alongside Him to serve. Throughout the centuries, women like Esther, Deborah, and Huldah have stepped into the Lord’s service.

We know what Esther has done. Deborah and Huldah were prophetesses, declaring God’s will for the nation of Israel. Deborah’s story is told in Judges 4 and 5. Huldah is mentioned in 2 Kings 22:14. Hannah was the first to name God the “Lord of hosts” in her poignant prayer for a child in 1 Samuel 1:11. Lydia was instrumental in the church established in Philippi (Acts 16:11–15, 40). Priscilla taught Apollos, an apostle of Christ, who needed to understand the faith more fully (Acts 18:24–28). Chloe planted a place of worship in her home (1 Corinthians 1:10–11). Phoebe served Paul and carried the letter to the Roman church (Romans 16:1–2). Several other women are commended in Paul’s personal greetings in Romans 16: Prisca again (Priscilla was a nickname for Prisca), Mary, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Persis, Junia, Rufus’s mother, Nereus’s sister, and Julia.

Women have worth. God calls us to bravely answer and live as a people all in and sold out for the mission and purpose of Jesus.

Continue your study of Esther with Summoned an 8-week , interactive Bible study. You'll develop a deeper appreciation for God's Word and begin to see that stepping out in faith for His glory is often the first step to encountering His redeeming love.