Crucifying the Idol of Comfortability

‭‭Esther‬ ‭3‬:‭‭13‬, ‭ESV‬‬

Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

Haman’s plot to destroy the Jews seemed like it was going to prosper. So Mordecai and many other Jews took on the posture of mourning and fasting—and Esther sent a messenger from the palace to find out why. Mordecai told her what had been decreed and that she should go talk to the king, and this is what happened next:

‭‭Esther‬ ‭4‬:‭11‬-‭14‬, ‭ESV‬‬

[Esther speaking]“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.” And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

In order to rise up, we have to crucify comfortability.

Comfortability has slowly and sneakily become one of the biggest idols in the western Church—and we have to get rid of it.

In fact, most of us live with an unrecognized fear of uncomfortability. We sing to the Lord that He can have it all, but when our obedience comes at a cost, we pull back—because we are afraid of that cost. We’re afraid that what God is calling us to is going to be uncomfortable.

But any call that significantly impacts the Kingdom of God will come at the cost of comfortability. 

Look at the heroes of faith in the Bible—Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, David, Elijah, Peter, Paul…Jesus! They were all called to extreme uncomfortability. 

Look at the heroes of faith since the Bible—Martin Luther, Abraham Lincoln, William Wilberforce, Amy Carmichael, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie Ten Boom, Martin Luther King Jr., Jim and Elizabeth Elliott, and countless others. They were all called to extreme uncomfortability.

Doing anything of significance in the kingdom of God will require us to crucify the fear of uncomfortability. 

But it’s always worth it—even if it costs the comfortability of those we love.

Mordecai’s love for Esther didn’t stop him from challenging her to take the uncomfortable (and dangerous) risk of approaching the king. He knew the calling was worth the cost—even for the person he loved the most.

Sometimes we think, “well, I would do this if it were just me, but the cost of this obedience would be too difficult for the ones I love.”

And we shut God down before He can even get started. 

“Protection” of our people at the cost of obedience is not noble. Our disobedience will cost them more than any amount of uncomfortability would have. In fact, to train our children in obedience at the cost of comfortability from a young age will set them up to obey God with complete abandon in their future.

Oswald Chambers said it well:

“Beware of the inclination to dictate to God what consequences you would allow as a condition of your obedience to Him.”

The call is always worth the cost. 

To rise up, we must crucify our deep desire to stay comfortable.