The Power of Influence
GOD’S WORD
Esther 8:5-6
5 Esther said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him,
and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed. 6 For how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?”
DEVOTIONAL BY
Captain Kelsey Bridges
Director of Curriculum
Evangeline Booth College
The backpacks are packed, the lunchboxes are filled, and the bus is waiting. I watch my kids step out the door with excitement, with a sliver of nerves, and I think about all the unknowns that await in the hallways and classrooms ahead of them. Every new school year is a fresh start and sometimes, the smallest choices can make a bigger difference than we realize.
More than thirty years ago, I still have vivid flashbacks to the back-to-school mornings of my own. I can remember the scent of those high school hallways with the faint mix of polished floors, old wooden desks, and that unmistakable new-book smell blended with the nervous energy of hundreds of teenagers. Every whiff, every sound, every glance down the long corridors carried the weight of possibility and anxiety all at once.
One particular “first day” memory is cemented in my mind even now. I had just moved to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. from southern Mississippi and was thrown into a sophomore class of 800+ peers. Picture a cafeteria scene straight out of every ’80s high school movie you’ve ever seen. Loud chatter, trays clattering, and familiar friends clustered at tables. There I sat at the table, quietly picking at my food and desperately scanning the room for a kind face when I locked eyes with her.
“Do you want to sit with us?”, she asked. “Ok sure”, I answered, with a Mississippi accent so thick it sounded as if it had been marinated in sweet tea. It was one small question, one simple act, and that’s all it took to make me feel seen and safe that afternoon. I wouldn’t know it yet, but that tiny moment barely wrapped into a single sentence, would change everything for me that year.
That’s what Esther did in Esther 8:5–6. She couldn’t stop the king’s first decree, but she used her voice at the right time to open a door for her people’s survival. It was one person, one voice, and one decision to shift the course of history. It’s easy to read the story of Esther and think about the grandeur, the palace, the king, and the drama of a nation’s fate hanging in the balance. But in the middle of this high-stakes moment, the one detail that stands out is Esther’s voice. One woman, speaking at the right time, with courage and purpose, changed the course of history for an entire people.
The story of Esther reminds us that influence is not about position; it’s about timing and a willingness to act. Esther didn’t control the king’s first decree, nor could she single handedly stop Haman’s plan. What she did have was access to the king, the courage to speak, and the wisdom to plead for her people. Her single act of advocacy became the turning point for survival
In our everyday lives, influence works in the same way, though often on a smaller scale. A smile to a lonely classmate, a word of encouragement to a struggling coworker, or an act of honesty in a difficult situation. These are our modern “Esther moments.” We may feel small or unsure of our impact, but God uses our willingness to step forward to accomplish His purposes. Just as Esther’s voice saved her people, our words and actions can have ripple effects we may never fully see.
For our children, the back-to-school season can be both exciting and intimidating. But it was that one small voice that welcomed me in, shifting the course of my lunch period, my week, and my entire high school experience. These moments aren’t noticed by everyone, and they rarely make headlines, but they matter deeply to God and to those who receive them. In the same sense, Esther’s story reminds us that God often places us in positions not by accident but for His good purpose. When opportunities to speak, act, or advocate arise, our responsibility is not to shrink in fear but to trust Him with the outcome. Our role is to be faithful and obedient. God’s role is to work through us.
As you reflect on Esther 8:5–6 today, consider the voices God has placed around you and the voice He has given within you. Are there moments where your courage, wisdom, or compassion could create ripples of hope and healing? Like Esther, you may not see the full impact of your actions. But God sees, and His purposes are always bigger than we imagine.
OUR CORPORATE PRAYER
Father, Your Word says that we can make our own plans, but it is You that determines our every step. For You know the plans that You have set before us all and they are plans for good and not for bad in order to make our future bright and filled with hope. That is who You are and we praise Your name for working in our lives and for giving us the desire and the power to do what pleases You. So Father, guide us on the path that You want us to go and watch over us as we live You out loud wherever we go so that Your name will be honored and glorified. In Jesus Christs name we pray, amen.