It’s Time for the Esthers to Arise
When I was a little girl I loved the biblical story of Esther because it was reminiscent of Cinderella and had fairytale elements that I romanticized. My young mind was captivated by the story arc and amazed by this female character who alone altered the course of a nation’s history.
As I matured and grew in my faith, I would come to understand the harsh realities of Esther’s life, and my naive perception of her was replaced with a sober admiration of her bravery and self-sacrifice.
While sitting at home pondering the effects of the global pandemic and it’s threat to our economic stability, the Lord highlighted Esther’s story to me and revealed that deliverance from this current crisis is going to come from modern day Esthers.
For those who are unfamiliar with the story of Esther, it is a narrative about a young orphan Jewish girl who becomes queen of Persia and uses her position to save the Jewish people from annihilation.
Esther’s parents died when she was a young girl and she was raised by her cousin Mordecai, a leader of the Jewish people. They lived in ancient Persia about 100 years after the Babylonian captivity.
One day, King Ahasuerus, ruler of the Persian Empire, sought a new wife because his queen, Vashti, refused to obey him. To find a new queen, he hosted a royal beauty pageant and Esther was chosen for the throne.
The king’s chief adviser, Haman, hated the Jews and he particularly hated Mordecai because Mordecai refused to bow down to him. So he gets permission from the king to have all the Jews in Persia killed. At this point, the king is unaware of Esther’s ethnicity.
Mordecai learned of the plot to kill the Jewish people and sent word to Esther to ask her to go before the king and plead for mercy on behalf of the Jews. Esther was reluctant to do so because she knew that anyone who approaches the king without an invitation is sentenced to death—unless the king holds out his golden scepter. And the king had not called for Esther to come before him.
When Mordecai received word of Esther’s reluctance, he challenged her with these famous words:
“Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will come from some other place, but you and your relatives will perish. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for such a time as this?” -Esther 4:13-14
Esther decided to risk her life and go before the king uninvited. She went on a three day fast and on the third day, Esther entered the inner courts of the palace. When the king saw her standing there he welcomed her and extended the golden scepter to her.
In short, Esther revealed her Jewish heritage to the king and told him about Haman’s plot to kill her and her people. The king became enraged and ordered Haman to be hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
Mordecai was promoted to Haman’s position and the Jews were granted protection throughout the land. As a result of one woman’s actions, a nation was saved!
The story of Esther depicts the power of intercession and the encounter she had with the king is a visual representation of what happens when an intercessor approaches the throne of God.
Esthers are intercessory prayer warriors who contend for breakthrough on behalf of others; they are frontline soldiers that war against whatever opposes the will of God. They have cultivated intimacy with the Father and they know his voice. They are powerful, anointed and victorious in battle.
God is calling modern day Esthers to stand in the gap for our nation and war against the forces of darkness that are fueling this virus and crippling our economy.
Just like Mordecai challenged Esther at a critical juncture in the Jewish nation’s history, God is challenging the Esther in YOU at this critical juncture in our nation’s history. If you don’t pray, deliverance will come from someone else, but what will become of your destiny? For all you know, you were born for such a time as this.
It’s time for modern day Esthers to arise and begin to pray:
- Pray against COVID-19 and decree an end to its terror
- Pray for those infected by the virus and decree no more death
- Pray for economic stabilization and recovery and decree no more losses
- Pray for provision for those who lost their jobs and their businesses and decree restoration of what was lost
- Pray for comfort for those who are emotionally vulnerable as a result of being isolated and cutoff from social interaction
- Pray for our nation and decree peace over every storm that’s raging
- Pray until the battle is won
Esther used three strategies to secure the deliverance of her people:
- Fasting- Esther employed fasting as a means to get God’s intervention (Es 4:16)
- Engagement of the king’s presence- Esther drew near to the king and entered his inner courts to make her request known (Es 5:1). As New Testament Believers, our worship ushers us into God’s inner courts (Ps 100:4) and we’ve been given the right to boldly approach his throne whenever we need help (Heb 4:16)
- Intercession- When Esther entered the presence of the king, the king said to her, “What is your request? It shall be given you…” (Es 5:3). Esther used this moment to act on behalf of her people and she pleaded for their safety. Likewise, when we enter the presence of God we can make petitions on behalf of others and God will grant our requests
In order for modern day Esthers to experience the same results as Queen Esther, we have to follow the example that she set. If we utilize the same strategies that Esther employed, we will move the hand of God on behalf of our nation.
It’s time to arise and go before the king and intercede for our nation until we see an end to the destruction caused by this virus.