Esther was a Woman for a 'Time Such as This'

Denise Posie’s fascination with Esther, the Queen of Persia who saved the Jewish people from death, dates back to when she had the chance to play the biblical character in a church play.

Dressed in royal robes, she spoke the lines of the queen who was able, regardless of her fears, to convince her husband, King Xerxes, to show mercy to Esther’s own relative, Mordecai, as well as to Jews living in the land.

"It was an amazing experience. Something about being in that play and playing Esther touched me in a profound way," said Posie, who had no idea at the time that she would eventually write a  book about Esther.

But several years after being in that play, she started to work on what was to become Consider a Greater Purpose: Vashi, Esther and the Women Who Followed. The book was recently published by Posie’s Daily Living with Purpose ministry.

Posie worked periodically on the book while she was serving at Immanuel CRC in Kalamazoo, Mich. Then when she left the church in 2012, she was able to devote more time to it.

One of the first things she did was to gather a diverse group of women at a local community center and ask them to discuss the four main characters — King Xerxes, Mordecai, Haman and Esther, after reading aloud the book of Esther.

"This meeting gave me the opportunity to hear other voices. Each of us had a different perspective, but it was important because of how we were able to realize the various aspects of Esther’s life," said Posie, who is now a pastor/congregation consultant for the CRC.

The two-hour gathering provided insight and inspiration that helped Posie address how the life and character of Esther can apply to people — and especially women — today.

"I knew about and cared for Esther, but this enabled me to go deeper," she said.

In the text, King Xerxes chooses Esther among hundreds of candidates to be Queen of Persia. Holding that position, there comes a crucial point when she has the chance to seek the king’s mercy in saving the Jewish people from the high official Haman.

Esther went ahead and petitioned the king despite her concerns over how he would react.

"This was a woman who showed great courage and obedience. God put her in that place for 'a time such as this'," said Posie.

Woven through the book are stories of other powerful women such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Corrie ten Boom and Rosa Parks who in their own ways exemplified the courage and strength evident in the Book of Esther.

Posie also writes about how God has been active in her life, helping her to see her own greater purpose and how to make a difference in  the lives of others.

“We see in reading Esther that God wants to take us out of our comfort zones. We see how important it is to be where God wants us to be,” she said.

Posie finishes the book by imagining herself as Esther speaking to women of today.

"I am the face of many women desiring to be used by Him to make a difference in the world," Posie as Esther says. "More women like me are in the Body of Christ."

Esther, speaking through Posie, also says that the "21st Century needs women of God who speak truth about the failure of systems and structures that harm and even destroy people."

At the end of each chapter in the book are questions to reflect on, a prayer and space for people to write notes. To order the book, click here. For more information, contact Posie at [email protected].