Esther said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him, and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed…” – Esther 8: 5

In a progressive world where many people aren’t too keen on living under someone else’s authority, we could all stand to embrace the concept of submission a little more.

Submission is sometimes equated to being weak or docile, but the Bible paints a much different picture.

David’s submission to King Saul was a show of respect for God’s choice of king, which ultimately gained him favor in the eyes of God.

And Esther’s submission to King Xerxes gave her leverage to be able to save her people from destruction.

In Scripture, submitting to authority means accepting the divine order that God has laid out.

And if we believe that God is sovereign and orchestrates every aspect of life, then we must do our best to accept the fact that we’re not always the boss and we can’t have control over every situation.

When we submit and relinquish control, we give God a chance to step in and do His thing.

Whether she had been submissive or forthright and assertive, it was still a show of great strength for Queen Esther to appeal to her king in the way that she did.

But if she had stomped into his court and started spewing out a list of demands, would the king have listened? (I don’t think so)

So we should begin to reevaluate some of our notions about submission.

Because when we submit to God’s order (and we’re not being grossly mistreated or abused), we’re submitting to God. And we can’t go wrong when we do that!

Be blessed,

Alexia

Prayer: God, help me to understand more and more the purpose of submission as you have ordained it. Teach me how to show humility and respect to people who have a higher ranking than I do, even if they aren’t the most pleasant people. Show me that when I submit, I give you the power to step in and take control of every situation. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.