Asking your enemy to dinner sounds crazy. Why did Esther delay asking the king for mercy for the Jews? She was a Jew, and Haman had tricked the king into making an irrevocable decree to kill them. Her cousin Mordecai had requested she ask for mercy earlier. Esther had responded by asking him and the …
Many people desire to be used by God. But only a few understand that you must be where God can use you. Esther had agreed to try to plead for mercy with the king so that the Jews would not be killed. She had spiritually prepared herself by joining the other Jews in three days …
When God answers our prayers, how do we respond? A friend’s brother was diagnosed with cancer, and so his family began to pray fervently to the Lord about his situation. Before starting treatment, the doctor wanted to do further testing only to find out that there was not a trace of cancer in his body. …
Waiting on God’s timing is challenging because it requires great trust in the Lord. It can be frustrating when you are in a hurry, but God seems to be taking his time. Perhaps you are waiting on God’s timing now for answered prayer. While we are waiting, the Lord works out many things. The Lord …
Although the battle between good and evil has occurred since satan fell into sin, it seems we are entering a new phase. An often hidden battle now appears to be in the open. The Lord is beginning to unveil the depth of evil in the world. The good news is light always prevails over darkness, …
Righteous decisions can make the difference between taking the wide or the narrow road along our spiritual journey. We must recognize that we will wander from our Savior without the Lord’s help of the Holy Spirit. When difficult times occur in life, and they will, our sinful flesh desires to choose the comfortable, easy path. …
You are alive today for such a time as this. We see this truth expressed to Queen Esther by her cousin Mordecai. An evil government official, Haman, plotted to kill all the Jews in the Persian Empire, telling King Xerxes that certain people did not keep the King’s laws. Of course, this was a lie, …
In the story of Esther, we can see how God uses obscure people. Hathach is a eunuch in the palace. Kings of the time often used castrated men to oversee the king’s women. These individuals couldn’t get involved sexually with the women. They would have been at the bottom of the social ladder. Since Hathach …
Something significant happens spiritually when God’s people intercede or fail to do so. In the book of Ezekiel, some sobering verses tell us what happens when God’s people fail to intercede. Ezekiel 22:30 I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the …
God welcomes our burdens, unlike the kings of Persia. Esther 4:2 He (Mordecai) went as far as the gate of the palace, for no one was allowed to enter the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning.[1] Why wasn’t Mordecai allowed past the gates in mourning clothes? “That was as far as he could go because …