Did her new position go to her head, filling her with pride?

Far from it! Esther remained obedient to her adoptive father, Mordecai. She kept her connection to the Jewish people a secret. Further, when Mordecai uncovered a plot to assassinate Ahasuerus, Esther obediently passed his warning along to the king, and the plotters were foiled. (Esther 2:20-23) She still expressed faith in her God by showing a humble, obedient spirit. Obedience is rarely valued as a virtue today; disobedience and rebellion are the norm. But people of genuine faith treasure obedience, as Esther did.

Mordecai sent a message to the queen, imploring Esther to intercede with the king, to stand up “for her own people.”​—Esther 4:4-8.

Esther’s heart must have sunk when she heard that message. Here was her greatest test of faith. She was afraid, as she freely revealed in her reply to Mordecai. She reminded him of the king’s law. To appear before the king unsummoned meant a death sentence. Only if the king held out his golden scepter was the offender spared. And did Esther have any reason to expect such clemency, especially in view of Vashti’s fate when she refused to appear when bidden to do so? She told Mordecai that the king had not invited her to see him in 30 days! Such neglect left her plenty of reason to wonder if she had fallen out of the capricious monarch’s favor.d​—Esther 4:9-11.

Mordecai replied firmly to bolster Esther’s faith. He assured her that if she failed to act, salvation for the Jews would arise from some other source. But how could she expect to be spared once the persecution gathered force? Here Mordecai showed his profound faith in Jehovah, who would never let His people be exterminated and His promises go unfulfilled. (Joshua 23:14) Then Mordecai asked Esther: “Who is there knowing whether it is for a time like this that you have attained to royal dignity?” (Esther 4:12-14) Mordecai trusted completely in his God, Jehovah. Do we?​—Proverbs 3:5, 6.

A Faith Stronger Than the Fear of Death

For Esther, the decisive moment had arrived. She asked Mordecai to get her countrymen to join her in a three-day fast, concluding her message with a statement that has echoed through the centuries in its simple faith and courage: “In case I must perish, I must perish.” (Esther 4:15-17) She must have prayed more fervently in those three days than she ever had in her life. Finally, though, the moment came. She dressed in her very best royal finery, doing all she could to appeal to the king. Then she went.

As described at the outset of this article, Esther made her way to the king’s court. We can only imagine the anxious thoughts, the fervent prayers, filling her mind and heart. She entered the courtyard, where she could see Ahasuerus on his throne. Perhaps she tried to read the expression on his face​—the face that was framed by the carefully tended, symmetrical curls of his hair and of his squared beard. If she had to wait, it must have felt like an eternity. But the moment passed​—her husband saw her. He was surely surprised, but his expression softened. He held out his golden scepter!​—Esther 5:1, 2.

Esther had gained an audience, a hearing ear. She had taken a stand for her God and for her people, setting a beautiful example of faith for all servants of God down through time.