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b'If she did not act, they would all perish. Esther\\u2019s heart pounded in her chest, the whisper of her silk dress taunting her with its queenly beauty as she paced the palace halls, every step bringing her closer to the king\\u2019s throne room.\\n\\u201cYou are uninvited,\\u201d she thought. The threat tormented her, stealing her breath and nearly her confidence with it. \\u201cTo go before the king uninvited is a death sentence.\\u201d\\nEsther reached the ornate doors of the throne room and stopped. One more step would bring her before her husband, the king of Persia, and if he did not welcome her in with a wave of his scepter, she would die. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Why me?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d she breathed. She was a young Jewish woman, not a queen. Yet the sparkling crown on her head said otherwise. \\u201cWhy did the king choose me?\\u201d\\nThe words of her cousin, Mordecai, the man who had raised Esther from childhood, now rang in her mind: \\u201cPerhaps it is for such a time as this that you have been chosen.\\u201d\\nSuch a time as this. The king, deceived by his evil second-in-command, had sealed a proclamation to eradicate every Jew in Persia on the charge of treason. Did the king know he had just sentenced his own queen to death?\\nEsther stared at the doors that separated her from her people\\u2019s last hope. Someone must unveil the lies that had born an impending massacre. \\u201cYou will die if you go,\\u201d her mind taunted.\\nEsther tilted her chin in defiance. \\u201cI will die if I stay,\\u201d she thought. Even now, the king\\u2019s men waited to be unleashed on the kingdom and not one living Jew would be left in their wake. Esther was all that stood in their way.\\nThe young queen straightened her shoulders and nodded to the guards. The massive doors swung open. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Lord, give me courage,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d she pleaded. Her eyes met the king\\u2019s across the royal throne room. \\u201cIf I perish, I perish.\\u201d \\u2022 Anita Seavey\\n\\u2022 Check out Esther 7\\xe2\\u20ac\\u201c8. How did God intervene in Esther\\u2019s situation? \\n\\u2022 As Christians, when we are afraid, who can we turn to (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 5:7)?\\n\\u2022 No matter what we face, what are some promises we have in Christ (Romans 8)?\\nAnd who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14b (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nMatthew 13:44; Philippians 3:20-21'