URC Daily Devotion Monday, 12 August 2024
Esther 6:14 – 7: 10
While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman off to the banquet that Esther had prepared. So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, ‘What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.’ Then Queen Esther answered, ‘If I have won your favour, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.’ Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, ‘Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?’ Esther said, ‘A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!’ Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. The king rose from the feast in wrath and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that the king had determined to destroy him. When the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the couch where Esther was reclining; and the king said, ‘Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?’ As the words left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, ‘Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.’ And the king said, ‘Hang him on that.’ So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.
Reflection
There is so much in this story to unpack, but the one thing that stands out is Esther’s courage and her unwavering trust in God’s purpose. Esther took such a risk unveiling Haman’s plan. It could so easily have backfired. Was Esther nervous I wonder? If she was, it obviously wasn’t visible to the people watching the story unfold. Esther remained calm, certain and full of faith. She took one step of faith in speaking out and saved the lives of thousands. Her faith was solid, encouraged, no doubt, by the three days of fasting and praying.
We don’t often hear these days about when or how to pray and fast. Fasting isn’t just about food, it is denying ourselves a fleshly want, to stand before God with clarity of mind and immerse our life in prayer, worship and devotion. How often do we make space in our diary to just be with God, instead of doing God’s work that day? We are called to be people of the Word, yet too often we are caught up in the world; in the lives of the people and the challenges around us (I am talking to myself too!)
It is a balance, with so many needs at our door everyday, so many prayers we feel we should be praying and people we should be helping. Someone once said to me that ‘in consistency lies the power’, meaning our determination to constantly put God first, on a daily basis, develops our intimacy with Him, opens our communication and aligns our prayers to His will. When we are encouraged that we are truly praying the will of God, through our words or the Spirit, we feel empowered and free not to worry. Anxiety is gone and we walk in faith, trust and certainty that all will be well, just as Queen Esther did that day.
Prayer
Father, my heart yearns for more of you.
To be saturated by your Spirit,
filled with your strength,
renewed by your forgiveness
and joyful in your love.
Help me to stay focused,
disciplined and aligned to your will,
your Word and your presence.
Help me to practise hour by hour
until I am present in the world
but my mind and my heart remain forever focused on You. Amen