Sowing Esther Style

“..If I perish, I perish.” Esther 4:16

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“Send in your faith seed!” Such seems to be the ubiquitous cry of the televangelist. No, he’s not talking about flower seeds, or vegetable seeds or even grains of mustard, we all know he’s referring to the stuff found in wallets! The Christian church in North America has thoroughly embraced the belief of fast blessings. The idea prevails that if we give $10 to the cause of Christ, we are guaranteed $100 back, or $1,000 or maybe even $10,000 depending on our faith. The Kingdom of God has become the new and improved Wall Street for believers. If we are willing to give, we are sure to get back! Does God bless those who give in faith? Most definitely, but giving with the thought of getting a quick return is not exactly faith giving.

Esther found herself being asked to sow a seed. It was not a financial seed, but it was definitely a faith seed. To go in uninvited before the king in order to intercede for her people was to invite instant death. God was asking Esther for a faith investment that had no guaranteed returns, no visible safety nets and no promises of glory. She knew it could mean complete disaster for her, but she battled through her short-sightedness until she was able to say those words of ultimate faith, “If I perish, I perish!” No reward, no guarantee, no victory in sight but a willingness to lay it all down for the sake of the Cause. It is when believers are willing to sow in Esther’s style that faith begins to really prevail, that the church can flourish even in times of scarcity and persecution, and what was sown in the unseen starts to produce the visible.