Hi Friend,

The biblical story of Queen Esther is a fascinating account of the power of one person. God chose one young woman—not a trained soldier—to save an entire nation. Few people could have seemed more alone: an orphan, a Jew living in Persia, and a female in a culture dominated by men. Yet Esther’s vulnerability makes her courage even more consequential. The enemy came to her, and she stood alone—not because she was strong, but because she was there.

Everything we know from experience tells us that there is strength in numbers. The larger the army, the greater the advantage. The more soldiers you have, the better your chances of winning the battle. In most sports the rules limit the number of players each team can have on the field. It simply isn’t fair for one football team to have twelve players and the other to have eleven. Yet God sent just one girl to fight for Israel.

As surprising as it may seem, this was not unusual. God called Gideon to deliver Israel from a ruthless and powerful enemy. Gideon raised an army of 32,000 men, yet the enemy was so numerous that it is described as being "like grasshoppers for multitude." Humanly speaking, Gideon needed every soldier he could muster yet God reduced his forces from 32,000 to a mere 300. God told Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself." The people would think it was their power, not God’s that won the battle. So, Gideon defeated the vast combined army of Midianites and their allies with only 300 men.

Now it’s easy to write these incidents off as anecdotal but that would be a serious mistake. Shall we rehearse the stories of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses or David fighting Goliath? Let’s understand that history is not written by political parties, nations or even great armies. History is written by individuals with a passion for righteousness.

When Abraham Lincoln entered politics, he had only one year of formal schooling. Yet he may have been one of the most profound writers in the English language. Even after becoming president, political elites ridiculed him for his unsophisticated, backwoods manner.

He did not want a war over slavery. The war came to him. It seemed he had been brought to this place by a providential force. And he would not shrink from his duty to conscience. It was Abraham Lincoln’s war. It was his duty to fight for a new birth of freedom in a land that was founded on freedom. And he did.

When Winston Churchill saw the threat of evil rising in Europe, he stood alone before a Parliament that condemned him. Passive voices of appeasement called him a "hawk" and a "warmonger," hoping evil would disappear if Britain ignored it. Churchill refused to look away, and it cost him his political influence. His time seemed to have passed, yet he never wavered. Alone, he opposed the senseless tyranny of an evil man bent on destroying the world. At last, war came to Britain, and Churchill was recalled as prime minister. World War II became Churchill’s war.

What would have happened if Esther had shrunk from the moment and sought strength from a large group of people? Mordecai, her uncle, told her that deliverance would come from another source, yet he asked, "Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).

What would have happened if Abraham Lincoln had looked to political polls? Would freedom for all in America have come from another source? God could have used anyone, but whoever He used would have had to stand alone.

We can ask the question "what if" about many men such as Lincoln or Churchill. But there is a far more penetrating question. What would have happened if Jesus had not stood alone, to bring the opportunity for salvation to mankind? Even in the spirit realm there is a need for one to stand alone. There were many in the Third Heaven from whom the Father could have chosen, but only ONE was sent to earth. Not twelve legions.

Esther stood alone, not because she was strong enough to stand alone, but because she was there. And perhaps that is one of Esther’s enduring lessons for us: sometimes courage isn’t being the strongest person in the room. Sometimes it’s recognizing that you’ve been placed in the room—and deciding what you will do with that opportunity.

The man who looks to a political party, or a nation, or an army, to save him has missed the point of life. One man, whose human spirit joins with the Spirit of God, is a powerful force for good in the world. As God said to Zerubabel, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah. 4:6).

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien

Pastor, Church of God Cincinnati

August 28, 2026