Children’s Church Lesson
She could stay quiet and protect herself or she could reveal who she really was and risk her life to help save her people. Mordecai reminded Esther: "Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" — Esther 4:14
Esther realized that perhaps becoming queen wasn't just about wearing a crown or living in a palace. God had placed her there for a reason so Esther asked the Jewish people to fast and pray for three days. She decided to go before the king.
She said, "If I perish, I perish."
Esther didn't know what was going to happen, but she chose to be courageous. Esther invited the king and Haman to a banquet she had prepared. At the first banquet, the king asked Esther again what she wanted. But Esther asked the king and Haman to come to another banquet the next day.
At the second banquet, Esther finally found the courage to speak. She told the king that she was Jewish and that Haman had made a plan to destroy her people. Esther bravely asked the king to save her and her people. The king listened to Esther, and Haman's plan was stopped. The Jewish people were saved.
Esther's story teaches us something very important about courage. Courage doesn't mean that you aren't afraid. Courage means that even when you're afraid, you choose to trust God and do what is right.
Sometimes courage means standing up for someone who is being treated unfairly. Sometimes it means telling the truth when it's difficult. Sometimes it means doing the right thing when everyone else is doing something different. And sometimes courage means trusting that God has placed you somewhere for such a time as this. Esther didn't know exactly how everything would turn out. But she trusted God and took the courageous step she needed to take. Be willing to trust God and do what is right, even when you're afraid.
Storytime: Courage to Do What Is Right
A long time ago, there was a young woman named Esther. She lived in Persia with her older cousin Mordecai, who had raised her. At that time, the king was looking for a new queen. Esther was chosen from among the young women in the kingdom, and she became Queen of Persia. But there was something the king didn't know about Esther. Esther was Jewish.
For a while, everything seemed fine. Esther was queen, and no one knew her secret. But then something terrible happened. The king had promoted a man named Haman to a very important position. Haman expected everyone to bow down and honor him. But Esther's cousin Mordecai refused to bow to Haman. This made Haman extremely angry.
When Haman discovered that Mordecai was Jewish, his anger went beyond Mordecai. He decided that he wanted to destroy all the Jewish people throughout the kingdom. Haman convinced the king to make an official order to destroy the Jews. Now Esther's people were in great danger.
Mordecai sent a message to Esther and asked her to go to the king and plead for her people. There was a law that said anyone who approached the king without being invited could be put to death unless the king extended his golden scepter. Even though Esther was a afraid, she had a choice to make.