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As U.S. federal funding cuts and policies put those experiencing conflict, hunger, poverty, displacement, climate crises and more at risk, we need people like you to stand with those in need. In this devotional, Esther Pyram Louissant, director of Integral Mission at World Relief Haiti, draws inspiration to meet this moment from the biblical account of Queen Esther. May we, like Queen Esther, take a stand when it matters most.
A Devotional Reflecting on Esther to Help Us Respond Today
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? — Esther 4:14
Background and Context
God allowed the deportation of the Jewish people to Assyria. Yet in that foreign kingdom, he raised Esther — a displaced Jewish woman — to become queen.
Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, had raised her. But when Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman, a high ranking official, Haman was so proud and full of himself, that he manipulated the king and obtained permission to kill all the Jews in the kingdom. Haman didn’t know that Esther was Mordecai’s niece, and when her uncle learned of the extermination order, he made sure Esther also received the message. At first, Esther hesitated to take action. Seeing her hesitation, Mordecai made the declaration in Esther 4:14.
The Bible goes on to say :
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” — Esther 4:15-16
We are going to reflect on this portion of scripture and consider three strategies Esther had to respond to a critical moment — and how Esther inspires us to respond through prayer and advocacy today.
How Esther Moved in a Critical Moment
1. Queen Esther mobilized her community in prayer.
She did not engage in this crisis alone in prayer but understood the power of community — the power of agreement among the children of God. She knew how God had delivered her people many times before. God values unity and always responds when we call. Many passages in the Bible prove this. So Queen Esther engaged in the crisis in prayer — but in community. She and her people stood together in prayer and intercession.
2. Queen Esther also stood alone.
Esther understood that beyond community prayer, she still had to go and stand by herself. It would take her individual courage and the loss of her anonymity.
This crisis required her, individually and personally, to stand alone against the law. Many times, we are ready to fight as a community, as a group, as an institution, as an organization. But we also need to be ready — and brave enough — to stand alone. So she was able to say to her uncle Mordecai, “When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
3. Queen Esther embraced vulnerability.
When she took her stand, Esther did not try to stand in her own power. She knew the law was already against her. She knew the king might not be able to protect her. She knew that Queen Vashti, who had been queen before her, had been banished after inciting the king’s anger.
So Queen Esther allowed herself to become vulnerable. She was at peace with her body after those three days without bread or water — she allowed herself to find strength not in her reputation, her beauty or her make-up, but in her weakness. In many ways, she was like David, who did not try to challenge Goliath with the royal battle armor of Saul strong, but instead embraced his vulnerability by facing the giant with simple stones and his sling, trusting God was by his side in the critical moment (1 Samuel 17).
The Risks of Taking a Stand
Queen Esther inspires us with her courage, but this kind of courage does not come easily. It’s not easy to go; It’s not easy to show up and take a stand in the face of crisis. It can even be a dangerous thing.
What can happen when you stand up for those in need? When you stand, you lose the protection of being unnoticed. The focus will no longer be on those who are vulnerable or even on your community — the focus will be you, risking comfort, reputation and possibly more.
Queen Esther knew by standing alone, everyone — the government, the princes, everyone in the room with the king — would see that she was not in conformity with the law. They would notice she had not been invited by the king, the one in power. For Esther, violating the royal protocol could have signed her own death warrant.
So I truly understand when sometimes, or many times, I can more easily mobilize my community in prayer, but afterward I stand still while waiting for God to intervene, ignoring that the next step might be to go — to stand and show up, risking the criticism or punishment of those in power.
In these moments, I think again of the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:20-24. God’s word says:
Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.
My friends, the challenge God’s people faced was real. They may have been ready as a group, as an army, but the soldiers were not ready individually for the crisis and the danger they faced. Every single day, they showed up as a group. Every single day, they were ready to respond. But every single day, Goliath asked for just one of them to stand — and for forty days and nights, no one had the courage to stand.
Are You Ready to Stand?
When you decide to show up to defend those near to God’s heart — to stand with the refugees, the migrants, those forced to flee their home within their country and across borders, with undocumented people, with families and children experiencing extreme trauma who are afraid, who can’t even go outside to play, who must remain silent for fear of losing their lives — when you stand with them, God will stand with you.
So my brothers and sisters, what will you do to take a stand? It is your time to stand — not just with World Relief, not just with your church or community. Glory to God, Queen Esther took a stand when it was most important, and you can, too.
It’s okay to be afraid.
It’s okay to lose your words.
It’s okay to not feel strong enough, ready enough.
It’s okay to even feel not enough.
But the guarantee I have to give you is that God always uses our weakness to give his strength.
God acts in our stress to bring about his certainty.
So God will use your “no more options” to unfold his plans.
So it’s okay to be afraid, to feel vulnerable and to be unsure of what will come next.
It’s also ok to take a stand, even when we are not welcomed, not invited or not wanted. God is with you, and God’s good plan will prevail.
Jesus says in Matthew 10:19, “ … do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say.”
So, my brothers and sisters, let’s do our part, trusting God with what happens next. As we close this Esther devotional, remember:
- Cherish standing together in prayer with God’s people.
- Don’t be afraid to stand alone for the truth.
- Embrace your vulnerability as a sign of your trust in God — he will use even our fear for his glory.
Journal Prompts:
In what ways might God be inviting you to take a stand today for refugees, immigrants and others forced to flee their homes?
What fears might be holding you back, and how can you trust God in your vulnerability to take the next step?
How You Can Stand With Those in Need Today
Esther’s story reminds us that moments of courage rarely come without fear — but they do come with purpose. I believe God has positioned you, like Esther, in this time and place for a reason. He has made you to stand even when it’s not easy and to speak up for those who are in crisis.
But you don’t have to do it alone. At World Relief, we equip and empower people like you to take a stand and help refugees, immigrants, and families forced to flee their homes.
Here’s how you can take a stand today:
- Advocate – Use your voice to influence policies that protect and restore the lives of those experiencing vulnerability.
- Give – Become a monthly donor through The Path and join a community of committed partners walking with displaced families every step of the way.
- Volunteer – Come alongside refugee and immigrant families rebuilding their lives by volunteering at one of our U.S. offices and beyond.
Together, let’s respond courageously in prayer and action like Queen Esther — for such a time as this.