Esther, Part Two

I wanted to make another point about Esther. She is the perfect example of how we determine God's Will for our lives. I can't tell you how many times Andy and I have wondered if it was time for a major change. Whether that be a job change, relocating, or adding to the family. Just how do we know if that change would be a good thing for us? There are so many times where I think that the excitement of moving to a new place would be worth the trouble of starting over. Or we'll wonder if we are at the church God wants us to be at, and discuss other options. So what exactly do we do when we are contemplating a change?

We follow Esther's lead.

"Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, 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 maids 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."

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther's instructions." Esther 4:15-17

Esther prayed. She prayed hard. Before she even took one step forward in her plan to approach the king, she spent three days in prayer on the matter. That way, she knew without a doubt that when she went ahead with what was being asked of her, the entire situation would be bathed in prayer. This doesn't necessarily mean that we need to lock ourselves in a room for three days and do nothing but pray when confronted with a change. But it does mean concentrated prayer. It means that our time with God should be focused on this matter and waiting on The Lord to answer our questions. And it means giving the entire situation to God to take care of and having faith in him to guide you to the right decision.

We had this very thing happened when we moved to this house. We loved our old neighborhood. The house was too small, and in need of some updating, but we lived there for years longer than we were planning to because we really liked the neighborhood. When we were finally ready to move, we really prayed about whether or not we were doing the right thing, and asked God to guide us to where he wanted us. And let me tell you, the house we are in now is one of the last ones in Seymour where we wanted to live. But we are definitely needed here. We live in a neighborhood that is entirely unsaved. I am grateful that I like the house I live in, because we may be a here a while. While we are definitely planting seeds, there is so much that could be done here, that God may have us here for awhile.

Wrap those major decisions with prayer. That way, you know that God is with you in whatever decisions you make. Esther did that, and saved an entire people.