With this past election, it seems fear and uncertainty surround the lives of people in our country. The unknown is a scary place to be, yet the known, having a God who loves us and declares good things for our lives brings peace during uncertainty.   I was talking with Pastor Gina about the election and all of the fear and reactions that people are having and what I kept hearing as I prayed was, “Esther turned the heart of the king”.

 

You see, I love the story of Esther. It really is how God can influence history by one person. Esther was a beautiful Jewish girl who was plucked from obscurity, and became the queen of the kingdom. Then there was a wicked man named Haman, who hatched a plot to have every one of the Jews put to death. It was Esther’s uncle, Mordecai, who came to her and described the plight of her fellow Jews, saying, “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).

 

I believe that our influence when cloaked in love is a powerful force. I also know that our prayers for God to change a leader’s heart is even more powerful.  I have been praying that God would surround our new president with a bunch of Esther’s, those who can influence him in positive ways.

 

Don’t use all your energy on fear and frustration, but instead, focus it on prayer and we can see God turn and change hearts. Esther was the queen who saved a nation. She used her influence with the king, the plot was averted, and the people were saved. Then, in perfect poetic justice, Haman, the guy who hatched the plot, ended up hanging on the very gallows he had erected for others. She was there behind the scenes, for such a time as this.

Blessings,

Pastor Keith