Esther 4:15-16 (NIV) Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” 

The Book of Esther is a remarkable story of how God took a simple Jewish girl and put her at the epicenter of a very crucial time in the history of the Jewish people. She became the queen of Persia by God’s providence. At that time, there was a man named Haman who was the highest-ranking noble of the King of Persia where Jews were in exile. He was a conceited man who loved to have people honor him and he hated Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, because he refused to bow down to him. Haman found out that Mordecai was of Jewish descent and conspired to not only have Mordacai killed, but to destroy every person in Persia of Jewish descent. Mordecai found out about the plot and asked Esther to intervene by asking the King to help the Jewish people.

There was a big problem, however. Esther thought that she was powerless to help because the law of the land was that no one, not even the queen, could see the king unless he had summoned them to appear before him. If any man or woman dared to approach him without being summoned, they would be executed, unless the king would extend his gold scepter to them to spare their lives. Mordecai challenged Esther to do it anyway and she finally relented, but she was wise enough to do the one thing that made all of the difference: she asked for everyone that was affected by Haman’s treacherous plot to fast and pray that she would find favor in the eyes of the king. She fasted and prayed as well. 

Because of Esther’s trust in God and because she didn’t consider her life as more important than the lives of her fellow Jews, God honored her request and the request of all the people because they sought the Lord by fasting and praying. She approached the king and the king not only extended the golden scepter to her, but showed her great favor and granted her request to save the Jewish people. An entire nation of people were saved from annihilation because Esther dared to trust in God while their enemy, Haman, was hanged in the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. 

When your back is against the wall and you see no way out, trust in the Lord like Esther did. As you continue to fast and pray this week, know that the Lord responds to his people when they are in need and they seek Him with all of their heart. He will respond to you in the same way.

Pastor Joey Vazquez