Your Breakthrough Starts with One Risky Step - Esther 5
Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv
Introduction
Have you ever stood on the edge of a high diving board, looking down at the water below? Your heart pounds, and you hear a voice inside screaming, “Don’t jump.” So, you turn around and climb back down the ladder.
But one day is different. You come to the pool with the determination to go off the high diving board. You climb up the ladder steps again, look down at the water, your heart pounding, the voice screaming, "Don’t jump," but this time, you jump anyway.
The moment your feet leave the diving board, there is no turning back—you are all in. For a split second, there’s the terrifying drop, but then your feet hit the water, and you realize, “I did it.”
Many of us face these types of high-dive moments in life—times when we know that God is calling us to step out in faith, but fear holds us back. The choice is clear: stay paralyzed by fear or jump in, trusting that God will catch you.
Joshua 1:9 (ESV): "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
God commands us to be strong and courageous, not because the situation isn’t scary, but because He is with us wherever we go. Just like Esther, we don’t take bold and risky steps alone—God is already ahead of us.
2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV): "For we walk by faith, not by sight."
Taking the leap, the risky step, is not about having all the answers in advance. Esther didn’t know how the king would respond, but she walked forward in faith, not by sight.
Hebrews 11:6 (ESV): "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him."
Fear does not please God—faith pleases God. When we trust Him enough to step forward, even when the outcome is uncertain, He rewards our faith.
This is exactly where Esther found herself in Esther 5. She had prepared, fasted, and prayed, but now came the moment of decision. Would she step forward in faith, risking everything, or would she shrink back in fear? Her decision would change history.
Today, we’re going to see how breakthrough happens when we take a risky step of faith—when we trust God enough to jump, to go all in, even when we don’t know how it will turn out.
Breakthrough Begins with a Risk
Esther 5:1–2 (ESV): "On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace … while the king was sitting on his royal throne … And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter … Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter."
Esther risked everything by approaching the king without an invitation. If he did not hold out the golden scepter, she would be put to death. Yet, she did not let fear paralyze her but moved forward in faith, trusting that God had prepared her for such a time as this.
Her calling was to save her people from the king’s death decree. God’s favor met her at the moment of risk, proving that He rewards bold steps of faith and obedience.
Esther 5:3–5 (ESV): "And the king said to her, ‘What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.’ And Esther said, ‘If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.’ … So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared."
Rather than making her request immediately, Esther wisely invited the king and Haman to a banquet. Breakthroughs often come not just with boldness but also from wisdom in timing. Esther shows us that spiritual discernment and listening to God’s voice is key in executing God’s plans.
Application
Often, fear stops us from taking action. We hesitate, wondering if the risk is worth it. But faith is stepping out when we don’t have the full assurance of the outcome.
Like Esther, we must prepare spiritually by following godly counsel, as she did with Mordecai. Next, she and others sought God with prayer and fasting. Then, she took the risky step of faith and obedience.
Ask yourself: what is the step of faith God is calling you to take? It could be standing up for the truth in a difficult situation, sharing your testimony, or moving forward in a new direction even when the road ahead is unclear. The question is not whether it is safe, but whether it is right.
When you move in faith, trust that God has already gone before you to make a way.
Breakthrough Requires Patience and Wisdom
Esther 5:6 (ESV): "And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, ‘What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.’"
At the feast, Esther patiently waited for the king to ask her for her request. She was wisely waiting for the right time to make her need known. The king offered her up to half of the Persian empire—an incredible opportunity. Yet, that was not her purpose or calling.
Many of us struggle with this. When given the chance, we want to speak immediately, to take action instantly, and force results on our timeline. But Esther demonstrated that sometimes waiting is wiser than speaking too soon.
Esther had already taken the risky step of faith by approaching the king. But she also knew that not every moment is the right moment to push forward. Even though the king was in a generous mood, she waited for the perfect opportunity to present her request.
This teaches us that patience and wisdom—God’s wisdom—go hand in hand.
Esther 5:7–8 (ESV): "Then Esther answered, ‘My wish and my request is: If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.’"
Rather than immediately giving her request, Esther invited the king and Haman to a second banquet. This patient and deliberate delay allowed God to work behind the scenes. If Esther had spoken too soon, the weight of her request might not have been as powerful as it would be later.
By waiting, she created anticipation, drawing the king’s interest deeper. She ensured that when she did finally reveal her request, the king would be fully engaged and favorable to it. This teaches us something vital about faith: God’s timing is just as important as God’s will.
Often, when we pray for a breakthrough, we assume that immediate action is best. But God may call us to wait, prepare, and allow Him to align circumstances first. Esther’s patience is a great example of this.
Application
Esther’s delay was not hesitation—it was wisdom. She teaches us that patience is not the same as passivity. Waiting does not mean inaction. Instead, patience in faith means actively trusting that God is setting the stage for greater impact.
Many of us struggle with waiting. We pray for something and expect an instant response. When nothing changes, we assume God is not working and often stop praying. But Esther’s story reminds us that just because we don’t see movement doesn’t mean God isn’t orchestrating events in the background.
Consider some real-life examples. A job promotion you desperately want, but God is teaching you something in your current role first. A broken relationship that needs healing, but God is working in the other person’s heart before reconciliation can happen. You are praying for a financial breakthrough that hasn’t arrived yet because God is first shaping your trust in Him rather than in money.
We must learn to trust that God’s delays are not His denials. If Esther had rushed ahead, the story could have unfolded very differently. But her wisdom in waiting led to a far greater breakthrough than she could have orchestrated on her own.
Are you in a season of waiting? Instead of trying to force things to happen, choose to trust that God is aligning things for the best possible outcome. Pray for wisdom and discernment. Ask God whether He wants you to act now or wait. Obey when the time is right. When the door fully opens, step through with boldness, just as Esther did. The right action at the wrong time can be disastrous, but the right action at the right time leads to breakthrough.
The Enemy’s Pride Leads to Downfall
Esther 5:9–10 (ESV): "And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh."
Haman had just left Esther’s banquet, believing he was highly honored to be there with both the king and the queen. However, the moment he saw Mordecai refusing to bow, he was filled with rage.
Pride distorts reality. Rather than appreciating the favor he had received, he became consumed by what he lacked. Pride causes us to fixate on small offenses, making us blind to the greater blessings around us.
Haman had wealth, power, and direct access to the king and queen, yet he could only focus on the one man who would not honor him. Pride makes us restless, unsatisfied, and quick to anger.
Esther 5:11–12 (ESV): "And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. Then Haman said, ‘Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king.’"
Instead of humbling himself, Haman boasted about his wealth, power, and exclusive access to the royal court. His identity and self-worth were completely tied to earthly achievements and the recognition of others.
But the problem with seeking validation from the world is that it is never enough. Many people today fall into the same trap, believing that success, wealth, or influence will satisfy them. But as Haman’s story shows us, pride-based validation is fragile. It only takes one person’s rejection to shatter it.
Esther 5:13–14 (ESV): "Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ‘Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.’ This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made."
Haman’s pride-fueled rage drove him to construct massive gallows to eliminate Mordecai once and for all. He was so blinded by arrogance that he failed to see the danger of his own actions. What he didn’t realize was that the structure he built for Mordecai’s destruction would soon become the same instrument of his own downfall.
This is the pattern of pride. It sets traps that eventually ensnare us.
Proverbs 16:18 (ESV): "Pride goes before destruction."
Haman thought he was securing his own power, but he was digging his own grave.
Application
Pride blinds us to wisdom and makes us obsessed with comparison, status, and recognition. It makes us restless, constantly seeking approval, and bitter toward those who don’t give it to us. If unchecked, pride will lead us to make impulsive, destructive decisions, just as it did for Haman.
But the opposite of pride is humility. While pride leads to downfall, humility leads to God’s favor.
James 4:6 (ESV): "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Where in your life is pride creeping in? Are you constantly comparing yourself to others? Do you feel like you need to be in control of situations? Are you struggling with bitterness because you feel overlooked or unappreciated?
If so, the solution is to surrender in humility before God. The path to true breakthrough is not through self-promotion but through submission to God’s plan. Haman sought his own glory and was destroyed. Esther sought God’s will and was exalted.
Which path will you choose?
Conclusion
Taking a leap of faith is never easy. The moment before you step forward, fear whispers a thousand reasons to stay still.
- “What if I fail?”
- “What if things don’t go as planned?”
- “What if the risk is too great?”
But as we’ve seen in Esther’s story, breakthroughs don’t come from staying where it’s safe. They come when we trust God enough to move forward, even when the outcome is uncertain.
Esther reminds us that while faith requires courage, it also requires wisdom. Sometimes God calls us to step forward immediately, and at other times, He calls us to wait and prepare. But in every case, obedience to God’s voice is the key to breakthrough.
Where is God calling you to take a step of faith?
- Is He asking you to trust Him with an unknown future?
- Is He prompting you to begin tithing even though you don’t think you can afford it?
- Is He calling you to share the Gospel or invite someone to church, but you don’t know how they’ll respond?
- Is He speaking to you to move forward in a relationship, career, or ministry, even when you don’t have all the answers?
Just like standing on the edge of the high diving board, you have a choice. Will you stand frozen in fear, or will you take the leap?
The good news is that God is already in the water below, ready to catch you. His grace is sufficient, His plan is perfect, and His favor goes before those who trust Him.
So, take the step. Trust Him.
Your breakthrough starts with one risky step of faith.
