In the Presence of the King

"On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter."
Esther 5:1&2 


The story of Esther is one of the most beloved stories in the Bible. It is renowned as one of the greatest pieces of ancient literature ever written. God is not mentioned even one time in the story, but the entire story is a lesson to us about the King of kings, our position, and our relationship with him. At this place in the story, there had been a plot developed by an evil man named Haman. His intent was to literally exterminate all of the Jews. Esther was a Jew. Her cousin Mordecai learned of the plot and asked her to approach the king because she had been chosen as his queen. The Jews had been exiled to Persia and were under the rule of King Xerxes. The only one who could appeal to the king on behalf of her people was Esther. 
    How does this story apply to us? Think of it this way. In the story, King Xerxes is a 'type' of Jesus, the King of kings. Esther is a 'type' of us, his disciples. The first thing we need to understand is this: We have a position which allows us to come into the presence of the King. The laws of the land dictated that if the king did not hold out his scepter toward a person, they would be killed, having been denied access to the king. But we always have access to the King of kings. We need not fear being rejected by him, for he will never reject us, he will always extend the royal scepter to us and welcome us. We are royalty as surely as Esther was. God has given us this position through the blood of his Son. 
    Just as the king was pleased with Esther, so God is pleased with us. Some labor under the lie that God is not pleased because of things we may or may not do. But this is not how God judges us. If we have believed in Jesus, participated in the cross, and received his forgiveness, we are viewed as perfect in his sight and we have right standing with him. You must know this truth today: God is pleased with you! He will always receive you and welcome you into his presence. He loves you and that is his only thought when he sees you coming.
    Finally, we need to learn to make a habit of coming into the presence of God. The way we do this is through prayer, worship, and fellowship with him. There is a connection made with God whenever we participate in any of these things. His presence can be so real that you can feel it as you bask in his glory. Learn a lesson from the story of Esther. No matter what the reason, it is always good to enter the presence of the King. There is no fear because he has given us royal blood. All of us have been given a great position in his kingdom. The only question is: Will you go to him? Think about it. Don't miss out on entering the presence of the King.