I read something exciting about the story of Mordecai and Esther that inspired this short piece. Esther, Mordecai’s niece, was a young beautiful girl who lost her parents at a critical stage of her life.
She possibly could have ended up wayward, but Mordecai took her up, and raised her like his own daughter. Eventually, an opportunity came for Esther. The king needed to choose a new queen because his other queen, Vashti, had called his bluff in front of the entire kingdom. Esther was among the young beautiful women the king was to make his choice from.
In this story, I saw how a one man has the capacity to either demote or uplift another. Who says the right relationships aren’t important?
At that critical threshold in Esther’s life, she needed all the care and guide she could get in the world, just as many of us do at some critical points in our life. Thankfully, Mordecai was available to help.
In Esther 2:10, the Scripture says, “Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it.” It appears Esther could have made some very terrible mistakes, even from the beginning, had it not been for Mordecai’s handy and helpful counsel.
At the end of the day, Esther was chosen among all the women that contested for the position. But there are a number of lessons I want to extract from the story which I believe would help our relationships going forward in the year 2020.
First, Esther was humble enough to take Mordecai’s counsel to heart. There was never a time when Esther jettisoned Mordecai’s advice. The point is this: Who are the people in your life right now or in your inner circle whose advice and counsel you pay close attention to? Do you even have such?
Perhaps these people have advised you in the past, and their words didn’t fall to the ground. It means God has placed these people in your life for a reason. How well do you take to their instructions? These are the people you need the most. People who would spur you to good works; who would not rest until they see that you become all God has called you to be.
The words of these people shouldn’t be played with. See an example in Esther 2:19-20, it says: “When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. 20 Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.”
Esther still heeded the counsel of Mordecai even when she became a queen. She didn’t become pompous, putting aside her counselor because she was a queen. Many of us need to take a cue from this and learn from her. We need to be careful so that when we get to the place of authority, we will still honor those whose counsel helped to get us there, and not ignore or take them lightly because we have ‘arrived’.
Esther was a cousin to Mordecai, yet she needed him to move to the palace. We all need men that will push us to our destined places. No one can live life all by him/herself. As much as God loves us, we would still need the help of human beings to actualize God’s plans and purpose for us on the face of the earth. No man is self-sufficient! Every man needs the hand of another man to be lifted high indeed. It is important that we locate these set of people in our lives.
She also got favored by Hegai, the one in charge of taking care of the women. He told her what to do to ensure she was accepted by the king.
She did it, and it made her stand out among others. We can’t necessarily do without the counsel of those that are truly knowledgeable in the area we are looking to achieve success in.
We all need favor with God- ordained and God-assigned men to help us fulfill destiny.
The counsel of Mordecai eventually helped and delivered not only Esther but also her people. Don’t jettison the instructions of the people God has placed in your life.. You might not know the reason they are asking you to do that thing, but it will eventually be clear to you as you go on. These instructions guide your steps to the prepared place and help deliver you and your generation.
In the multitude of counsel, there is safety. Who is your counselor?
Written by Olabisi O
