Mordecai raised his orphaned niece Esther like his own daughter, teaching her wisdom and obedience. When the king sought a new queen, Mordecai knew Esther was ready. She became queen but stayed loyal to Mordecai. Later, Mordecai learned of a plot to kill all Jews and demanded Esther intervene with the king despite the risk. He told her that if she remained silent, God would save the Jews through others, but she and her family would perish. Esther obeyed Mordecai and used her position to save her people, though God could have acted through others if she did not.

1. A Father’s Day reflection by Hannah Yaawusuah Adjepong
Mordecai
He was a man of faith without a doubt.
His faith in God was unshakable. He saw divine opportunities and took them in
his stride.
Every occasion, every situation was a divine opportunity.
He saw an opportunity to raise a child orphaned at an early age.
He raised her like his very own. Like many devoted parents he always looked
out for the best opportunity for his daughter Hadassah.
When the opportunity came for all the young virgins in 127 provinces King
Xerxes, he did not have a doubt that it was the right time and place for his
daughter to shine.
Not just because she was beautiful but because he had raised her to know how
to conduct herself. He had raised her to appreciate mentors and to know that the
opinions of experienced people matter.
So when Esther stepped into the King’s palace, Mordecai knew she would do
well.
Esther went there to succeed not just be part of a crowd. She went there to learn
not just to receive beauty treatment and compare herself with the many virgins
from all over the province. She went there to listen and observe because her ear
had been trained to sift through remarks and comments and also appreciate none
verbal communication.

2. It came as no surprise to Mordecai that Esther had been chosen to be the next
America's top model? No the next Queen of a great empire.
Now what next?
She settled into her place as Queen, she was careful to learn all the protocol of
the palace. She was determined not to put a foot wrong. She was forever
conscious of her privileged position but she also kept in touch with her roots.
One day when it was reported to her that her cousin who raised her was wearing
sack cloth and ashes in great distress, she reacted immediately an sent him
“proper” clothes that befitted the father of the Queen. Nobody at the time knew
that the man who sat at the palace gate was the father of the Queen Hadassah
(Esther) .
Mordecai had enough wisdom not to lap up the privilege or bask in the glory of
a changing world. He was right; because no sooner had Queen Esther settled
into her position than opposition arose against the Jews. How would she have
known what was planned and plotted against her people, cocooned in the luxury
of the palace?
It was not that Mordecai lacked decent clothes to wear Esther would have
known that but the significance of a sack cloth and ashes might have escaped
her because she lived in a different environment now.
Then her father demanded yet another loyalty and obedience from her. She had
been loyal to him and obeyed his instructions all her life, but for goodness sake
she was now the Queen.
If anything at all she should be the one demanding loyalty and obedience.

3. Mordecai however was unflinching before the position of any man or woman.
He had a loyalty to God which superseded the position men. He believed every
position was for a divine purpose so he did not allow his royal cousin (daughter)
to abdicate her responsibility from that divine purpose.
The part I love which greatly challenges me in the book of Esther was what
Mordecai said to her;
“KNOW THAT IF YOU REMAIN SILENT AT THIS TIME , salvation will
rise for the Jews from another place but you and your father's house will perish.
And how do you know that it was for such a time as this that you came to the
kingdom?”
Mordecai had no doubt that God will rescue the Jews with or without Queen
Esther's intervention her privilege was to allow God to use her position and
proximity to the King to reverse the evil plan of Haman.
We have all been put in different positions for a divine purpose. None of us is
indispensable.
God had 7000 knees in all Israel that had not bowed or worshiped Ball. Elijah
might have felt all alone in the battle but he was chosen to fight that battle.
Jesus said "God is able to make stones praise Him if we keep quiet."
Was it a coincidence that when Simon Peter who made such great promises and
failed miserably, knew later that another Simon was pulled from the crowd to
carry the cross of Jesus right to the top of Calvary and so did the job that Simon
Peter had promised he would do?

4. “Know that God is able to bring salvation to the Jews from another place.”
From another place?
God does not depend solely on me to write, speak or tell others about His love.
He has millions of people He has given the gift of writing and speaking. When
I refuse to share my poems and thoughts other poets will.
It is a privilege to write and speak. May God help me to recognize the
opportunities available to me today.