"Please don't make me go," begged Esther.

"You must, Esther. Queen Vashti is dead and you are just one of the girls in the kingdom that has been ordered to appear at the palace, by King Ahasuerus," her cousin Mordecai explained. The Jewish people called the king Ahasuerus, but he was also known as King Xerxes.

Esther crossed her arms and said, "I'm happy where I am. I certainly don't want to be a Queen. Besides, I'm Jewish and the King isn't. There are lots of Persian girls so they don't need me."

"You have to go and that is final. Besides, you are right. With so many girls to choose from, you likely won't be the one the king picks as his next queen, anyway," Mordecai assured her. "And when you go, I don't want to hear about you pouting. I know what a lovely person you are and I want you to stay that way."  Esther's parents had died when she was young and he had raised her ever since.

The girl smiled and hugged the man, unable to refuse him for long, "All right, Mordecai. For you, I will go cheerfully."

Mordecai smiled gratefully and then frowned slightly, "Esther, wait. There is one last thing you must promise me."

"Yes?" said Esther, somewhat concerned by the serious look Mordecai had taken.

"You must not let ANYONE know that you are a Jew. Do you understand?"

She nodded sadly, "Yes, I understand."

When Esther was falling asleep that night, she began to think about what it would be like at the palace. She'd have to spend an entire year there, away from family and friends, before the King would even choose his new bride. "Ah well," she thought, "at least I'll get to return home after that. After all there's no way the King would end up picking a peasant, Jewish girl as his Queen no matter how lovely people thought she was."

The next morning, Esther packed her bags. She was happy that her cousin would be able to visit her often. He worked at the palace as a minor official. Esther carefully combed her long dark hair and gazed longingly out the window. She'd miss the sights and sounds of her home and wanted to commit every detail to memory.

Mordecai walked by, stopped and turned back. "You look so thoughtful Esther," he said with a smile.

Esther nodded. "I hope I'm not chosen to be the Queen. I prayed all last night that God would make the King choose someone else."

"Esther!" Modecai chided, "You mustn't pray only for what you want, but for what God wants of you."

Esther looked confused and Mordecai smiled gently. "What I mean is," he began again, "that God may not always give us what we want, but he does provide us everything we need. You can't just ask for what you want all the time, because it might not be what God wants. So you must ask for what God wants."

Esther thought a second and responded slowly, "But ' I don't know what God wants. How can I pray for something I don't know?"

Mordecai said, "Well, you could simply pray, 'God, I want whatever you want. I put my trust in You.' Do you understand?"

"I think so ...does that mean, instead of saying, 'God, please don't let the King choose me for his queen,' I am to say, 'God, if you want me to be Queen, then I will be happy with your decision. Please help me do my best to be a good one'?" Esther asked.

Mordecai smiled and kissed Esther on the forehead, "That sounds perfect."

The year passed quickly, but Esther missed her home every day. Just as she'd promised Mordecai, she did her best to remain cheerful and kind. And every night she prayed that God would help her do His will. 

Esther didn't like the way some of the other girls teased each other and tried to be kind to everyone she met. She'd been placed in the care of a man named Hegai. Because of her gentle nature Esther became friends with him. Hegai placed Esther and her servants in the best room in the palace and brought her small gifts.

Twelve months passed and it was time for Esther to go see the King. As Hegai led the beautiful girl to the King's palace, people stopped to stare at Esther's gentle beauty.

"Esther, do not be afraid of the King," Hegai said to her as they neared the throne room.

When they had reached the throne room, Esther took a deep breath and knelt before King Xerxes.

"Dear God," she prayed silently, "give me the strength to do Your will."

The King gazed down at Esther. "My goodness," he thought, "this one is young. She's very beautiful, but I don't know."

It was at that moment that Esther finished her silent prayer. Without thinking, she raised her head (something she shouldn't really have done without the King's permission, but it was her habit when she'd finished her prayers.) The look on her face was so serene, it increased her beauty ten-fold and the King's heart was hers.

He broke into a wide smile, happy that he'd finally found his bride, "What is your name?"

Esther realized her error, bowed her head and looked at the floor. "Esther, my lord."

"Esther, it's alright you can look up now," said the King. She looked up at his smiling face and blushed slightly, which pleased him too.

"You have a beauty beyond all beauty. Beauty of the flesh and of the heart!" he exclaimed.

King Xerxes beckoned to Hegai, "This woman, Hegai, shall be my Queen. You have cared for her well, and her beauty surpasses all others, inside and out. Thank you."

Hegai nodded and said, "You are most welcome, great King, I am honored to be of service to you."

Xerxes then called for a servant to bring Queen Vashti's old crown. He took it and placed it gently on Esther's head. "You, Esther, are now my Queen."