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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
On this day, 81 years ago, millions of people were staring death in the face every day as Hitler’s war machine was conquering Europe and slaughtering Jews daily by the thousands in the death camps. In the headquarters of the Allied commanders, final decisions were being made for one of the most historic, monumental, military invasions of all time: “Operation Overlord”, better known as “D-day”. Originally scheduled for today, June 5, 1944, bad weather postponed this massive invasion across the English Channel, by one day to June 6. That D-day, though extremely costly in human life, began the decline and eventual defeat of Hitler and Nazi Germany, and the rise of victorious freedom for Europe. I salute any of you whose families are directly linked to the events of D-day!
That was a day which had then, and still has today, tremendous significance globally. Come with me back to Susa, the capital city of the Persian kingdom, in about 474bc as we step back into the story of Queen Esther and another day which had global significance.
You’ll remember Esther’s uncle Mordecai, the man who had raised orphaned Esther since her childhood. He had discovered a terrible plan by wicked Haman the Agagite. What plan? The radical extermination of all Jews everywhere in the entire Persian kingdom, and it would be accomplished in ONE terrible day!!
Yesterday we watched as Mordecai, grieving in his sackcloth and ashes, explained the terrible plot, as he understood it, to Hathak, one of King Xerxes’ trusted eunuchs who was assigned to Queen Esther.
After hearing this shocking news from Hathak, Queen Esther sent word back to Mordecai explaining the protocol of the King’s inner court and throne room, which required certain death to anyone who entered uninvited. (Esther 4:9-11)
Mordecai’s response is famous: “do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?“(Esther 4:12-14)
“For such a time as this”, oh my what a powerful statement!
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the circumstances led you to believe it was your God directed destiny to be there at that moment? Did you sense that you were uniquely positioned to be able to say or do something which would be monumental in bringing help and hope to a very difficult situation? So… what did you do?
For young, Jewish “Hadassah”, she knew it was nothing short of a miracle of God that Mordecai had been kind enough to take her in and raise her as his own daughter when her parents died.
It was absolutely God’s miracle when she was selected among hundreds of young women to enter the king’s harem and be prepared for his selection process for finding a new queen! (Esther 2:8)
It was without question a great miracle of God that King Xerxes had selected “Hadassah“, known as Esther, to be his queen! (Esther 2:17)
While we presume it had been several months since Esther had been selected Queen, it appears her frequency of being in the king’s presence was rare and the king knew very little about his new, young queen. I’m sure Esther felt there was virtually nothing she could do in the face of this desperate situation. Nothing, that is, except prayer, seeking God’s intervention and guidance.
Thus, Esther’s response to her terrified uncle Mordecai is also quite famous: “Gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. So, Mordecai carried out all of Esther’s instructions.” (Esther 4:15-17)
I have no doubt Esther knew well the story of Daniel and the edict King Nebuchadnezzar had issued that anyone found praying to any god or person other than Nebuchadnezzar would be thrown to the lions. (Daniel 6)
Esther knew Daniel had lived a long life of integrity in the courts of the king, as a trusted advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar, yet he was a Jewish man deeply committed to daily prayer to God. Daniel refused to be intimidated by the threat of the lion’s den. He continued his faithful praying, was arrested and thrown to the lions. And God protected Daniel when he spent a night with those hungry lions! (Daniel 6) And so Esther called all Jews in Susa to fast, and I believe pray for God’s intervention.
Let’s pause here friends.
Have there been such monumental events in your life that your best and perhaps only option was fasting and prayer seeking God’s intervention?
Are you perhaps in that situation right now?
Are you confident God understands your desperate situation even better than you do?
Are you confident God has sufficient power to intervene and bring God’s powerful answer to your desperation?
Are you fasting and praying?
I urge us to pray today, thanking God for His faithfulness to His character, His promises, His word and His people, and let’s worship with this song and we’ll return tomorrow to see what God did in Esther’s terrifying situation. In some ways her fright was very similar to millions of people 81 years ago today, on the eve of D-day.
Today’s Scripture: Esther 4:12-14.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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