I was reading the book of Esther this week.
One sentence slowed me down because it almost feels unnecessary.
Quick back story. After Queen Vashti was removed, the King ordered for a competition to be organised to select the next queen.
After 12 months of preparation, before each young woman met the king, she could take whatever she wanted with her.
Anything.
If that sentence disappeared, the story would still make perfect sense.
So why is it there?
Then Esther’s turn comes.
“Now when the turn came for Esther… she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all who saw her.”
Esther 2:15 (NKJV)
I read it again.
She requested nothing.
Not because she wasn’t allowed to.
Not because someone stopped her.
She simply chose not to exercise the choice she had been given.
That surprised me.
We’re taught to value choice.
More options.
More freedom.
More independence.
So why does one of the defining moments in Esther’s story begin with someone deliberately giving a choice back?
The more I thought about it, the more I realised this wasn’t really about choice.
It was about understanding.
Hegai had spent years preparing women for this exact moment.
Esther had never stood where she was about to stand.
Although she had a choice, he had perspective.
She could have relied on her own instincts. Instead, she trusted someone who knew what she didn’t.
I wonder how many decisions I’ve made simply because I could.
Not because I understood enough.
Not because I had the best perspective.
Simply because the decision belonged to me.
We often assume that because a choice is ours, we should use it.
Esther quietly challenges that assumption.
Having a choice is not the same as needing to exercise it.
Sometimes wisdom isn’t found in making your own decision.
Sometimes it’s found in recognising who sees further than you do.
I’ve been thinking about that all week.
I pray for favour for you. God will showcase your work before kings in this new season.
You are blessed and highly favoured.
