To be brave is to be ready to face and endure danger or pain or to endure unpleasant conditions or behavior without showing fear. This is especially true when you are being brave to protect someone other than yourself. Both Mordecai and Esther had to be brave in the face of Haman's threats. They both knew they could lose their lives. But they did the right thing and all the Jews throughout the kingdom were saved because of their bravery (Esther 4:16).

Anything that becomes more important to us than our relationship with God is called an "idol." This is not just a statue made of stone, wood, or metal like the idols of the Old Testament. Anything that takes first place in our life is a spiritual idol. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind" (Matthew 22:37). The Ten Commandments teach a similar truth: "You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods" (Exodus 20:3-5). Because Mordecai loved God, he refused to bow down to Haman, even if it meant losing his life. There are times when we have to be brave, like Mordecai was, in order to do the right thing in life.

God wants His children to always do the right thing. Esther had to do the right thing and speak up for Israel even when the leaders, like Haman, were doing the wrong thing. The Bible says, "Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it" (James 4:17). The good news is that when we ask God for help, He sends the Holy Spirit to give us courage so that we can be brave. It might be hard to do what is right, but it is always the best thing to do -- and many times, it is easier in the long run.

Both Mordecai and Haman represent examples of reaping and sowing. Haman tricked the king in an attempt to kill all of the Jews. Ultimately, Haman was executed for his trickery. On the other hand, Mordecai honored the one true God. As a result, Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property (Esther 8:1-2). The king also took off his signet ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai.

When a farmer plants a seed in the ground, he "sows" that seed. He knows that if he plants the seed in good ground and if it gets plenty of water and sunlight, it will sprout and grow into a healthy plant. In the same way, if we "sow" a seed with our words, either good or bad, we will reap the fruit of that seed. So if we sow kindness and love, we will reap love from others. If we sow anger, we will reap mean behavior from others. The Bible makes it clear: "Don't be misled--you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant" (Galatians 6:7). But if we do what God wants us to do, sowing good seeds to others, then we will be blessed with good things: "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up" (Galatians 6:9).

God hears us and will always rescue those who love Him, just as He rescued Mordecai and the Jews in the story of Esther (Esther 8:15-16). Sometimes it feels like God is not moving as fast as we would like in answering our prayers. But we need to remember that, if we believe that God hears our prayers, then He will move on our behalf when the time is right.

The Bible tells us that there is great power in our prayers: "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results" (James 5:16). It also says: "We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will" (John 9:31). Jesus taught us: "If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you" (Matthew 18:19). So don't give up when it seems like the answer isn't coming. It will come in God's timing, and His timing is always perfect.