“For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”” ~ Esther 4:14
We all love stories about men and women who do courageous things. Courage on the battlefield. Bravery in a dangerous situation. People who run into burning buildings to save lives, or who dive into freezing water to rescue those in trouble. Courage is something we admire. Courage is something we want to live out in our lives.
This week we are reading the Book of Esther. Esther is a story all about courage. The courage of a young Jewish woman to stand in the courts of a foreign king and seek the deliverance of her people. The courage of Mordecai as he refuses to bow to a man who is an enemy of God’s people. The courage of a king to stop a massacre and change a bad decision.
As you read this week, remember that God wants His people to have courage. God does not want us to live in fear of the things of this world. The Bible reminds us often that God has not given us a spirit of fear, or that we never walk alone, God is with us, and God is greater than the world around us. The Bible encourages (inspires courage) us to stand in the world as the people of God. To look like Jesus. God wants us to show the world where true strength and power can be found. In a relationship with Him.
| Date | Snapshot Reading | Full Reading |
| April 5 | Esther 2:1-23 | Esther 1-2 |
| April 6 | Esther 3:1-15 | Esther 3 |
| April 7 | Esther 4:1-17 | Esther 4-5 |
| April 8 | Esther 6:1-14 | Esther 6 |
| April 9 | Esther 7:1-10 | Esther 7 |
| April 10 | Esther 8:1-17 | Esther 8 |
| April 11 | Esther 9:1-32 | Esther 9-10 |
| April 12 | Job 1:1-22 | Job 1-6 |