Fasting for Breakthrough: How Esther Saved a Nation (Part One)

by Marilynn Chadwick

God’s people owe their very existence to a young Hebrew girl named Esther. It’s true. God chose to work out his plan of deliverance for Israel through the courageous actions of an ordinary teenager. Sometimes I think we underestimate the power of a young person who loves God.

Esther’s story didn’t start out pretty. The Jews had been taken from Jerusalem into captivity years earlier by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon (Esther 2:5-7). Babylon was then defeated by Persia. When we first meet Esther, she’s among the Jews living in the Persian empire. They were a displaced people longing for home.

Esther was raised by an older cousin named Mordecai. Described as “lovely in form and features,” her name had been changed from her original Hebrew name, Hadassah, to the Persian name Esther, or “star.” Scholars believe it was connected to the Babylonia goddess Ishtar.

Even today, when a people group is captured, the conquering nation often strips away every form of national identity. We saw this firsthand during a missions trip to South Sudan prior to its independence in 2011. Throughout 20 years of civil war, the Arab extremist Islamic government in the north had attempted the genocidal extinction of Christians in southern Sudan.

Roughly two million people died and millions more were displaced. One of the North’s many dehumanizing practices was to strip South Sudanese children of their Christian identity by giving them new Arabic names. They were forced to attend schools in which they learned to speak and read only in Arabic. Like the Jews of Esther’s time, this was part of a targeted attempt to erase both their heritage and religion.

Esther was around fourteen when her story began. Life as a Jew in exile was all she’d ever known. That is, until she became the Queen of Persia. This startling turn of events happened after King Xerxes of Persia banished his previous queen, Vashti, for embarrassing him in public. The king’s advisors came up with a plan to bring beautiful young women from every province in the Persian Empire to the king’s palace. During her year of preparation, Esther won the favor and respect of all who knew her. The king was so impressed with Esther’s beauty and grace that he selected her to be his new queen. What the king did not know was that Esther was a Jew.

Esther kept her Jewish identity a secret. We see her character and humility through her obedience and loyalty to Mordecai. In time, a sinister adversary rose up. Haman, the king’s highest-ranking official, despised both Mordecai and the Jewish people. He manipulated the king into signing an edict to slaughter every Jew in the Persian empire, which, at the time, stretched from India to Ethiopia. This move would wipe virtually every Jew from the face of the earth.

When Mordecai learned of Haman’s genocidal plot, he pleaded with Esther to beg for mercy from the king. By this time, Esther had been queen for several years and was around twenty years old. Life as queen was no doubt more comfortable than life as an exile. But she had never lost touch with Mordecai or her people.

To be continued tomorrow…

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For more inspiration on fasting from the story of Esther, check out Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage & Strength God Gave You by Marilynn Chadwick. Simply click here to order your copy.

Fasting for Breakthrough: The Swarm

by Marilynn Chadwick

The story is told about a group of Texas fifth grade school children who figured out a way to stop bullying in their classroom. Whenever a fellow student was being bullied, the other classmates would gather around the victim and simply stand without saying a word. This show of solidarity stopped the bullies dead in their tracks every time. The students nicknamed their tactic "The Swarm."

I think we can learn a lesson about prayer and fasting from those school children. Let's be like “The Swarm” as we gather with brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. I believe our swarm of prayers and fasting can have a powerful impact, especially in the spiritual realm.

If you want to stand strong, don't fast alone. I encourage you to get a family member or friend to fast with you. Share your prayer and fasting experience with your small group. What if we agreed to fast and pray together as a “swarm” for persecuted believers? Or what if we prayed specifically for the release of the remaining Israeli hostages? Every day of prayer and fasting can have purpose.

During my first experiments with fasting several years ago, a friend and I would pray and fast on the same day. We would often trade prayer requests and sometimes we'd go for a walk to pray for our needs. It was good to have someone else in the boat. Plus, I discovered it helped to confess my own sin God had revealed to me and get that into the light. Remember, confession is a valuable part of fasting.

Jesus was clear about the power of "a swarm" of believers in prayer. He promised that when we are gathered in his name, even just two or three of us, he is there with us. “Truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19-20).

The Greek word for agree is symphone (from which we get symphony), meaning “together with the same voice.” This word can also be translated as “music.”

I wonder if our fasting and prayers in one accord sound like music to God. I can imagine the unified voices of many believers around the country and even all over the world who are crying out to God in fervent prayer on behalf of Israel and especially the Israeli hostages. What could happen if we agreed to stand strong in solidarity with them through our continual swarm of prayer and fasting. Together.

Fasting for Breakthrough: Stand Your Ground

by Marilynn Chadwick

Yesterday, I talked about the importance of approaching a fast with humility. When we are feeling weak, it's easier to lean into God's power. By giving up food, or social media or whatever, we have little reminders throughout the day to pray. Think I'll fix myself a snack…oops…guess not. That's my trigger to pray for pressing needs.

It's never easy to say "No" to hunger pains, or shopping, or social media. But fasting requires an extra measure of the Holy Spirit's strength. Especially if we're fasting for something of tremendous importance: the salvation of a loved one, deliverance from evil, healing from a dreaded disease, release from prison.

You're also fasting and praying for strongholds in your own life to be defeated. Our battle is a spiritual one.The Bible says that our struggle is not against flesh and blood and things we can see, but against the "rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV).

"Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13).

Take a closer look at the spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6:10-17. You'll realize the armor that we are "putting on" is Jesus. Friends, only Jesus can defeat the enemy of our soul. The Bible says we are to resist the devil and trust the Lord to gain the victory. That means that our fight is to stand firm in the faith that Jesus accomplished our victory on the cross. We are to stand our ground. Prayer and fasting drive that truth deep.

A spiritual warfare tactic and my personal favorite verse to meditate on when praying and fasting is this short, power-packed promise from the book of James: "Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

Be encouraged as you go about your fast. Be alert and watch for God at work, in even tiny ways. Like I've said, I don't know why fasting works. It just does. And remember, the devil is a defeated foe. So, while you are fasting, be sure to feast on God’s promises and stand your ground!