Esther’s 3 Ways to Reduce Stress
By Marlene Houk
Burke County
Floating downriver on a tour boat while learning about the architecture of Chicago thrilled my detail-oriented self. Eventually, though, the moving deck, loud noises, and unfamiliar demands created stress. I remember stepping into a bathroom, desperate for quiet and peace.
What causes you distress? Uncertainty? The threat of Physical harm? Others’ demands? Panic and overreaction have affected everyone, all ages, and generations, since the beginning of creation. Tension and anxiety rush down through millennia—from Bible times to the present—as we struggle for serenity. In the Old Testament book of Esther, losing control dominates every chapter until the dam of fear and despair bursts. But, flowing from the rushing water and overwhelming debris, God shows us three ways to reduce stress through the life-and-death drama of her life.
After five years in her role as queen, Esther had become comfortable with being cradled in luxury, her slightest whim fulfilled. She had inherited Queen Vashti’s house and reigned supreme over it with vast power and influence. But the strain of maintaining calm rose as the undercurrents of power-hungry courtiers and the barrage of ulterior motives threatened her with their constant stream of wickedness.
Evil erupted as her people, the Jews, absorbed the horror of their impending ethnic cleansing (Esther 4:3). Their trauma burst into chaos and fear, creating confusion and a complete inability to focus on anything. They fasted with wailing and mourning, bringing an exclamation point to their fear of lying in sackcloth and ashes.
We can relate to the way the Jews reacted. Everyday life, a mind-bending crisis, or physical decline cause escalating anxiety. The storm of confusing reactions, imploding fear, and exploding words consume our hearts. These are normal responses. But, eventually, and especially if we prepare, our boats rise above the troughs of turbulent waves as we steer toward calmer waters.
Even amid the hurricane of deceit and drama, Queen Esther created a small oasis of stability and resolve that we can use today. Esther and Mordecai’s story reveals that they thought rationally rather than ranting and raving. They illustrate how to sharpen our understanding from fuzzy to focused on our own hysteria.
Much as a trained athlete uses controlled power to swing around with a shotput and gather momentum, Esther and Mordecai harnessed their people’s plunging fear and catapulted it into focused action. Esther re-directed their wild emotions from wailing to working by asking Mordecai to summon them to do three things: gather, act, and plan.
When Esther told Mordecai to “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan” (4:16), she used two God-designed methods to turn the Jews’ fear into action — exercise and teamwork. No matter the gathering place, the Jews would have had to walk at least a few city blocks, which took advantage of the benefits of physical exercise and group involvement. Exercise releases natural brain chemicals that can enhance your sense of well-being.” And when we gather together as a team, our focus sharpens, our loyalty grows, and our efforts toward success increase. The ideas of exercise and teamwork as recovery tools in crises also work well today as Esther and Mordecai teach us.
The Queen also asked the Jews to act for her, to shift the focus of their fasting from inward (focused on themselves) to outward (focused on her). In turmoil, a helpful emotional exercise is to refocus. When we place our attention on the Lord and His community, the redirection diverts our fear. On her website, Dr. Baulch lists a range of actions from hobbies to necessary work that can serve to dispel fear. She calls them, “simple, everyday activities designed to help you to ride out the wave of your emotion until your thinking brain comes back online.” This refocus would have enabled them to concentrate on her plan and their participation.
The most important part of Queen Esther’s commands was her plan to help her people refocus from despair to defeating their enemy.
Her plan was to:
1. involve all Jews (Esther 4:16).
2. intercede for herself and them (Esther 4:16).
3. introduce new written laws to allow the Jews to defend themselves (Esther 8:5).
Preparation before we face a crisis is critical. Here are three simple ways.
1. Gather godly people to help. Have a prayer team that you can gather at a moment’s
notice. Connect to godly and mature people who have focused on the Lord in life situations.
2. Act in a way that reduces the impact of the crisis by diluting emotions. Practice recognizing when your thinking ability fades and then pray—giving your burdens to the Lord. Engage in simple physical activities until clarity returns.
3. Plan to focus on the Lord, asking Him for help with a strategy. Pray Colossians 1:9, Proverbs 3:5-6, and Isaiah 26:3 (or one of many other verses) to help you avoid falling into an emotional pit.
I still remember the delight of gazing at the grandeur of the Chicago skyline from the sunny top deck. Even though tense, anxiety faded as I marveled at God’s amazing ability to grant man knowledge to gather, act, and plan to build elegant structures with powerful purpose. Likewise, we can remove stress by following Esther’s example: gather help, act wisely, and plan with God. Practicing her advice clears our foggy feelings and empowers us to trust God. He will go before us and work out His intent for our lives!
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Marlene is an author and teacher of Bible studies. She may be reached at Biblelady167@gmail.com
To receive helpful insight from the Bible, sign up for her newsletter at http://www.MarleneHouk.com, or connect with her on other social media. You can read more good Christian News from Marlene HERE.
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Blue Ridge Christian News covers Avery County, Burke County, McDowell County, Mitchell County, Yancey County, and Madison County in North Carolina, and Christian news from around the country.
