On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, because Esther had disclosed what he was to her. The king took off his signet ring, which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai.
And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman … In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree arrived, there was joy and jubilation for the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews because the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.
Esther 8:1-2, 17
Everything God does has strategy to it; part of it is silence. The story of Esther had a happy ending. God reversed the plot to exterminate the Jews using King Ahasuerus. He rewarded Esther and Mordecai and removed Haman, the enemy of the Jews, from the equation. For God’s plans to work, Esther and Mordecai had to be careful whom to talk to, what to say, what not to say, when and when NOT to reveal how they were related, and when to mention or not mention or even hide their relationship with God when they sought Him in fasting and prayer.
Don’t blow your cover. There are places it would be dangerous and unwise to share with others your race, religion, plans, etc. Evangelizing in the work environment or anti-Christian countries unwisely would put your career, life, or mission in jeopardy. You have to know when to button your lips. Knowing when to be covert or overt in your place of work is an important skill set you need to develop so as not to blow your assignment or ruin God’s plans. Even Jesus said there are some with whom sharing “good news” is as “pearls before swine” and to “shake the dust off your feet” and get out of there. Jesus knew during His three-year mission that He was not to preach to the Gentiles, but to reach the lost sheep of Israel. God had the Gentile assignment planned for another time and another person, named Paul. Do you know to whom you are called?
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- What advice would you give to someone to gauge when to share their faith and when to be silent?
- How do you know when a door to witness is open vs. closed?
- In what ways does a marketplace believer have a “cold start” to a conversation about Christ that a pastor doesn’t in a Sunday morning service?
At times, evangelists are like CIA operatives working undercover; they need to know how to hide in plain sight yet be ready to act on a moment’s notice.
