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To Speak or Be Silent
Listen to today’s devo!
But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do. (Est. 2:20)
Expanded Passage: Esther 2:19-20
Esther is in a situation that reeks of absolute injustice. Let’s not sugarcoat it: Esther is brought to the king against her will (think sex trafficking, not beauty pageant), because the former queen wouldn’t parade her body around the king’s banquet. The circumstances that brought Esther into her role as queen were insane; and (much like Jesus) Esther recognized that the godly response to insanity is wisdom: wisdom that knows when to speak, and when to remain silent.
And so Esther did the hard work of silence long before she did the hard work of speaking—by the shrewdness of Mordecai, and empowered by God’s invitation, she decided not to react off the cuff but to respond with maturity, looking not only to her own interests but instead thinking about how to help the interests of others.
One of the hardest components of discipleship is reading the times—knowing when is the time to speak, and when is the time to listen. Discretion is necessary; but silence can also come at a cost. Esther made decisions to respond rather than react. A question worth considering: When we speak, do we speak out of reaction, or defensiveness, hoping to insist on our own “rights”? When we remain silent, is our silence a wise pause, or a temptation toward inaction or fear?
Consider your motivation next time you choose between speaking and silence.
Ethan Linder is the pastor of discipleship at College Wesleyan Church (IN) and contributing editor for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
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By The Wesleyan Church
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Listen to today’s devo!
But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do. (Est. 2:20)
Expanded Passage: Esther 2:19-20
Esther is in a situation that reeks of absolute injustice. Let’s not sugarcoat it: Esther is brought to the king against her will (think sex trafficking, not beauty pageant), because the former queen wouldn’t parade her body around the king’s banquet. The circumstances that brought Esther into her role as queen were insane; and (much like Jesus) Esther recognized that the godly response to insanity is wisdom: wisdom that knows when to speak, and when to remain silent.
And so Esther did the hard work of silence long before she did the hard work of speaking—by the shrewdness of Mordecai, and empowered by God’s invitation, she decided not to react off the cuff but to respond with maturity, looking not only to her own interests but instead thinking about how to help the interests of others.
One of the hardest components of discipleship is reading the times—knowing when is the time to speak, and when is the time to listen. Discretion is necessary; but silence can also come at a cost. Esther made decisions to respond rather than react. A question worth considering: When we speak, do we speak out of reaction, or defensiveness, hoping to insist on our own “rights”? When we remain silent, is our silence a wise pause, or a temptation toward inaction or fear?
Consider your motivation next time you choose between speaking and silence.
Ethan Linder is the pastor of discipleship at College Wesleyan Church (IN) and contributing editor for Education and Clergy Development of The Wesleyan Church.
© 2026 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.