Mensa Otabil - A Step By Faith
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Thank you. This week is our Greater Works week, and we are talking about people that God used to do great works. I believe the same God who used them can use you and can use me to do mighty things for Him. Jesus said that those who believe in Him will do greater works than He did, and I think it’s important that we trust God to do mighty things with us.
Today, we are looking at a woman whom God used to do great things in her time; her name is Esther, and we read from Esther chapter 4, verses 15 and 16. The Nestor told them to reply to Mordecai, «Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me. Neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise, and so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.» Many people have quoted these words of Esther in moments of crisis to think about the steps they have to take and the crisis they have to avert.
Esther is in a very serious situation. A very wicked man has conspired to kill all the Jews, her compatriots, and she has to do something about the problem. She’s married to the king, so really she may be protected as an individual, but this is a national calamity for her. There are steps she took in this passage. The first thing she tells her uncle Mordecai is to go and gather the Jews; let them fast and pray with me. That’s the first step she takes. She understands that although this is a personal responsibility, she has to have people supporting her in prayer.
Many times when we want to attempt great things for God, we need just one person, two people, or a group of people to be praying with us and supporting us and encouraging us, and that’s what Esther does: «Pray for me.» Do you have people who pray with you when you are about to do something great for God?
The second thing she said is, «Although you are praying for me, I’m going to also pray for myself.» In other words, I’m not outsourcing my prayer to somebody else; I’m also taking responsibility. I’m going to fast, and I’m going to pray. So, two things are happening: Esther with her maids in the palace praying and the Jews outside praying. So outside there’s prayer, inside there’s prayer. What a strategic combination to have people praying for you both within and without.
But Esther didn’t end there. She didn’t say, «Well, after we pray, everything will be all right.» She said, «After we pray, I’m going to see the king, which is against the law.» Now, why would she say that? That’s her husband. Why is it against the law? Because there was a queen before Esther, and that queen was removed from her role because she disobeyed the king. Those were different times; she disobeys her husband, and she is removed as queen.
So, Esther is about to disobey the king’s law, and she understands the consequences. This can go against me because sometimes, for us to do great things for God, we have to really determine whether we want our comfort, whether we just want to do things that will protect us, or we want to really take the bold step and do something audacious for God. Esther decides to do that, and then she says, «I know the outcome may not be right; I may lose my job. I was a slave girl brought into Persia, and I’ve been promoted to be a queen. Maybe at this time I’ll be just chucked out.»
But she says, «If I perish, I perish.» If you are afraid of your comfort, you will never do great things for God. If you’re always thinking of saving yourself, protecting yourself, and staying in a safe place, you will never attempt something great. But if you’re going to attempt something great for God, you have to be like Esther: pray about it, confront the problem, and be ready to face the consequences: «If I perish, I perish.»
Let us pray. With me: Heavenly Father, thank you for calling me into something bigger, better, and greater. Manifest your purpose in my life. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.