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

Continued from yesterday…

God is never actually mentioned by name in the book of Esther. But throughout the story, we see Esther quietly responding to what I believe must surely have been God’s whispers. I don’t think the Lord would have entrusted the very survival of the entire nation of Israel into the hands of a teenager unless he knew she would listen and obey.

Training our heart to hear God’s voice is one of our most important jobs as believers. We do this primarily through reading God’s Word and spending time in prayer. But for some reason, fasting helps us depend on God and sharpens our hearing.

As we saw yesterday, Esther was devastated by the news of the king’s edict to destroy the Jews. But she was even more terrified by the request made by Mordecai. He asked her to appear before the king and beg for mercy. The risk for Esther was huge. Everyone throughout the palace courts knew the rule: If someone went to the king without being summoned, it was an automatic death penalty—that is, unless the king extended his golden scepter. It had been 30 days since Esther had last been summoned to appear before the king.  Mordecai challenged Esther with these now famous words: “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

Esther found strength from the Lord. She told Mordecai to have all the Jews gather for three days of fasting. She and her maids would do the same. When this was done, she assured him, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law” (v.16). Then she uttered words that are among the most stirring declarations in the entire Bible: “And if I perish, I perish.”

At that point, Esther broke the back of the adversary. The fasting and prayer with God’s people set the stage for a miraculous and strategic series of events that brought about the salvation of the entire nation. Through her courageous faith, wisdom, and ingenuity, she exposed Haman’s wicked plot. The enraged king sent Haman to the very gallows he had built to hang Mordecai.

The story of Esther is thrilling and full of suspense. Good triumphs over evil. And in the end, Esther influenced her husband, a pagan King, to deliver the Jews. The king promoted Mordecai to second in command in all the Persian empire. Esther ruled as queen. An ordinary teenager who dared to step out and obey God. She risked her life, and in turn, saved a nation. Fasting and prayer were part of the arsenal she used to make herself strong.

Esther must have learned to hear and obey God during her years under the watchful eye of Mordecai. Perhaps that is where she also grew to appreciate the power of fasting and prayer. Somehow, she managed to remain surrendered to God, even while serving as queen. Her dramatic three-day fast put her in a place of utter dependency. In the end, it brought great power to her petition for the deliverance of her people.

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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.