Thankfully a few centuries ago royal families lost the power to kill someone for approaching them incorrectly. However, there are still protocols for meeting the royal family in the UK. (I am sure this is the case in other countries with royal families, too.) If you meet King Charles, he is to be addressed as “Your Majesty,” and the protocol is that he starts, leads, and ends the conversation. If you do not follow these protocols, the worst that will happen is that his security team might step in and remove you from his presence.
We know that Esther got selected by the king to be his queen. In reality, she was just one of the many women in his life. When Mordecai called Esther to stand before the king to plead the case of the Jews, she hadn’t even seen the king in a month! She knew she had to be wise when approaching him. She couldn’t just burst in and ask what she wanted.
Her life would be in danger if she didn’t talk to the king, but talking to him also put her life in danger if he was offended. She really was in a difficult position. The life of all of the Jews depended on her. What an overwhelming responsibility!
So she paused to fast and pray for three days. She asked her ladies in waiting to do the same as well as asking Mordecai to assemble all the Jews in Susa to join her in her fast and prayer.
Esther knew God could prepare the way. He could give her wisdom and make the king favorable towards her. This allowed Esther to rest in the knowledge that God can do all things, and no plan of His can be thwarted (Job 42:2). She spent time with the King of Kings before going to see the king.
Taking Time with God First
Have you ever had a difficult conversation you knew you had to have but didn’t know how it was going to go? Maybe it was talking with an older relative about them needing extra help. Maybe it was someone who had been offended by something you had said. It could have been an anxious time, especially if you had to wait.
For me, I am a conflict avoider. If I know there is an awkward or difficult conversation to be had, I have a tendency to try and get it over with as quickly as possible. Sometimes, in my foolishness, I stumble right into the conversation without even praying about it beforehand.
But Esther showed greater wisdom. It wasn’t that she was stalling for time hoping the problem would go away. She paused and went to the One who “changes times and seasons, deposing some king and establishing others. He gives wisdom to the wise; he imparts knowledge to those with understanding” (Daniel 2:21). She took time with God in order to be reminded of who He is and to ask Him to prepare the way.
What do you do in difficult situations? Do you turn inward, trying to figure out things on your own, or do you turn to God in prayer? How comfortable are you with asking others to pray for you? Sometimes we can so easily pray for others but struggle to bring our own needs and requests to God. It takes courage to be vulnerable and admit we aren’t in control, that we need to rely on God and ask for prayer from others.
Peace That Comes Through Prayer
I have some wonderful Christian friends who are great at regularly asking, “What can I pray for you?” I have experienced the benefit of having lots of godly people praying for me. Last year, I had breast cancer. Thankfully it was caught early, and the treatment of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation was successful in removing the cancer before it spread.
There were many surprises in my treatment journey. But I was amazed by the peace God gave me. It surpassed all understanding, guarding my heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). I knew the love that went with me into every hospital appointment and that my future was safe in His hands. I will always be grateful to those who with their prayers helped to carry me and my family through difficult days.
I was also comforted by the words of Corrie Ten Boom. She was a Christian who was arrested and sent to a prisoner of war camp for helping Jews while the Netherlands was occupied during the Second World War. She said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
All of our futures are unknown. We can be sure that we can trust our futures to God, who is not only in control but is also full of love, grace, and mercy. This doesn’t mean all our days will be easy ones. In fact, we are warned that there will be difficult days, but He has promised to never leave us nor abandon us (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5). We have hope for the future, eternity spent with Him.
Thank and praise God for who He is and that your days are safe within His hands. Reach out to a friend and ask, “How can I pray for you today?” Then spend time before the throne of grace praying for them.
