When I first heard about Beth Moore’s study of Esther a while ago, I wanted to do it. Yet every time it came up, it wouldn’t work in my schedule. The time wasn’t right. But when a friend of mine, a gifted Bible teacher, said she was hosting this study in her home this semester, on a day I generally have free, I jumped at the chance to attend. When we went to our first session, my friend asked us all to tell why we chose to study Esther.
For me, that was an easy question. I’m drawn to the “stories” in the Bible. I learn best from them. So I love the Old Testament and the gospels, returning to them again and again, though I’ve come to love every part of God’s Word over the years. In Esther we are given a more drawn out story than most. And with a woman as its central character. I love that. I know that the study of this book over the course of several weeks will reveal so much about God, which of course tends to reveal so much about me and the areas where I fall short.
So I’m excited as I embark on a study of Esther. I know it will challenge me as a person of faith, but I also feel it will challenge me as a writer, to see how a story reveals the character of God even when He is not overtly mentioned. Because while I ultimately want the story of my life to be one that puts God on display, I also want to show Him through the stories I write. And what better way than to study the Ultimate Writer of Truth.