Esther: A Woman of Strength and Dignity

This is the third book in a series by Charles Swindoll that I have read. I found this book to be very inspiring and uplifting. It is the story of a woman, though her humility, grace and strength, with God's help saved her people. It shows once again that God is in control and He uses the most humble people to carry out His plans. He is a God of surprises and we are only to trust and obey Him and He will do amazing things through us.

Ester has long been overlooked-did you know there is no mention of God in this book of the bible or that she was an orphan? Just a great look at how she-and the rest of us live our lives one day at a time with a little help from our friends. But how does it go-If you don't stand for something you stand for nothing. Each one of us stands for something but have we ever HAD to look inside to find just what it is?

We are doing this as a Ladies Bible Study at our church and it has been wonderful. Swindoll does an excellent job in this character study, and he does in all of them. It really makes you think about what a difference one person, one woman can make when she stands for what is right and follows Gods leadership.

The entire Great Lives Series are biographies on individuals of the Bible. They are wonderful books because they can be read at many different levels. This book, on Esther, is no different. On the surface level one can read this book and learn a lot about Esther. The next level reveals the character of God, and another level teaches the reader application for their own life and relationship with God. This book is entirely about Esther, but doesn't have anything to do with Esther. Through reading this book one learns about Esther, her experiences, and the era she lived in. Yet what we are really learning are principles that remain constant for all people and all time. Some of these are: waiting on the Lord, the invincibility of God despite his invisibility, and self- constraint through the holy spirit. Like the parables Jesus used, the story of Esther's life is merely a tool God uses to portray His will. This is something Charles Swindoll has discovered, and I believe his intent in writing this book is to help us discover the same. One of the great aspects of this book is that it is part of a series and each book in the series addresses different lessons and characteristics of God. These books introduce life- changing application we might otherwise miss in our regular bible reading and therefore, can greatly enhance our time in God's word.

I want to say Thanks first to Lord and second for Mr. Swindoll because Esther: A Woman of Strength & Dignity helped me to be obedient to God first and then to my future husband. How is important the paper of the woman, not only being beautiful or all the qualities that this world require from but yes what God is expecting from his servant. Also the history and how it worked. I learned a lot. Thanks!