Hi friends,
What if God has you here right now to pray specifically for something happening around you that’s too big for you to change on your own?
That’s the question that we’re tackling this week! Today’s devotion features the Biblical woman who received the most votes in our Happy Monday poll two weeks ago. Drum roll, please... Esther!
Esther’s story is among the most well-known and beloved in the Bible. An orphan girl becomes queen and saves her people. Perhaps you’ve watched “One Night with the King” or VeggieTales 'Esther.” Honestly, the Old Testament book of Esther reads like a heart-thumping novella, full of intrigue, high stakes, miracles, and supernatural plot twists that only God could make happen. If you haven’t read the book of Esther recently - or ever - her story is inspiring...and a powerful reminder that even when your circumstances are crazy, God is always in control.
Let’s get into it!
After King Xerxes crowns Esther queen of Persia, a man named Haman crafts a diabolical plot to kill all the Jews. Mordecai, who raised Esther after her parents died, found out about the plot and publicly grieved the death sentence, along with the Jews across the kingdom.
But Esther didn’t know. She was sealed up in the king’s palace until her attendants brought her news of the scheduled massacre. The degree was signed and sealed by Esther’s husband, who didn’t know his wife was Jewish. Awkard.
While none of us can relate to Esther as a queen, we can relate to the stress that she feels. She cared about those in danger, but she couldn’t change or control the situation.
I think we’re all feeling like Esther right now. When we turn on the news or look at our phones, our hearts sink with sadness, or we experience stress as we look at the heartache and hardship around us.
Are you familiar with empathetic distress? It’s a kind of stress we experience when people around us are hurting, but we can’t help them. Empathetic distress may explain the tears you cry because you can’t fix what someone’s going through. Maybe you can’t sleep because your mind keeps running through worst-case scenarios, or you can’t see a way out for them.
Empathetic distress isn’t a sin, but it is a warning sign. Yes, we should care about the problems in the world and the people around us. Here’s what we need to remember: There’s a difference between caring about people and carrying their problems around in your heart. We’re simply not built to carry everyone’s problems shoved into our hearts. Only God can.
REFLECTION: Are you caring about others, or are you carrying their problems around in your heart or mind?
This is where Esther shows us how to move when the problems are too big for us, but not too big for God. Let’s reflect on her story and see how she handles her situation:
- She fasts and prays
“Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same.” -Esther 4:16a NLT
Esther avoided a mistake that many of us make far too often: She did not immediately jump in to figure out how to fix the problem. Instead, Esther began with fasting and prayer.
Wouldn’t our hearts handle our problems better if we began with fasting and prayer instead of fear and panic? It’s the fear and panic that fuels our desperation to fix things for people, even if it’s not ours to fix.
Fasting and prayer create space for us to calm down and give God time to show up. What if God has different instructions for us and we’ve jumped into action before we hear from Him? God isn’t Amazon Prime or a vending machine. Just because we stop to fast and pray doesn’t mean He’ll act on our timeline or do what we want. Fasting and prayer train us to wait for God and depend on God.
If impatience and control-loving behaviors have been a struggle for you, do you feel a nudge from God to give fasting and prayer a try?
In July 2025, I began fasting on Wednesdays. Fasting isn't easy, but each week trains my mind, body, and emotions to pause in stressful situations and lean on God. (My fasting story podcast interview
here).
2. Esther surrenders (like Jesus did!)
Let’s look at this well-known declaration from Esther. Notice how the following verse bears a surrender-themed resemblance to Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane. This is so cool!
“When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” -Esther 4:16b NIV
He (Jesus) went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” -Matthew 26:39 NLT
Esther informs Mordecai that she will fast and pray. Then, Esther reveals that she will risk her life to appeal to the king. Then Esther does something powerful: she surrenders the outcome to God. Esther was willing to sacrifice her life for others and took action without knowing the outcome.
In Matthew 26, Jesus also proclaims surrender in his life. As he stood in the garden of Gethsemane under great stress and overwhelm, Jesus surrendered his life to God’s will. His conviction: God, Your will be done, not mine.
3. For such a time as this...
Consider this: What if God has ordained your life in your family right now to pray only the prayers that YOU can pray? You're not here by accident, my friend.
Mordecai’s famous line in Esther 4:14 to Esther offers the perfect challenge to each of us as I wrap up today’s devotion. God has specifically chosen us to be here for such a time as this to fast and pray for our loved ones, our world, and ourselves. Let's not waste this invitation to pray because God can do the impossible when we pray!
