Esther is my favorite book. In fact, my favorite movie is One Night With The King, a movie about Esther. I highly recommend it. It’s a slow but beautifully done movie, that I don’t think anyone in my life has actually watched.

Esther was a young Jewish woman who was being raised by her cousin when her life was upended. She went from being surrounded by her people, living her life to having to hide her true identity in a palace with strangers as King Xerxes picked his next Queen. She was, of course, crowned his Queen, and as such was to be subservient, obedient. There came a time when the future of her people depended on her speaking up, going up to her husband and baring all. She let it be known she was Jewish, she asked that he grant her her life, and the lives of her people. Unimaginable for those times! Her bravery paid off, her king loved her. He respected her.

You see, a lot of Esther is about something we don’t often think about. It shows how God is often working behind the scenes. His name isn’t mentioned much, but you can see all these different things coming together perfectly at just the right time. He often chooses the most unlikely of heroes, and He often chooses to work quietly, behind the scenes, weaving things together just perfectly. He chose Esther, a mere woman, to take a stand, and save her people. How amazing, and how brave she was.

If you don’t read any other book in the Bible, read this one. There are so many good ones, but something about the book of Esther just stands out. I’m very passionate about it, so maybe I’m bias, but I don’t think so. You’ll learn a lot about God’s character, and perhaps it will help put some things in perspective for you, like it has done for me.