Suddenly, a new idea came to Esther. She knew that God was much more powerful than any part of this problem and she asked Mordecai to pray that God would look after her and that she would be safe when she went in to talk to King Ahasuerus. Mordecai agreed wholeheartedly and he even organised for all of God’s people to pray for his beloved cousin Esther.
Meanwhile, Esther gathered her friends at the palace to pray. They fasted together all day, eating no food so that their minds could be focussed on talking with God about their request. This was certainly a very important request!
Knock, knock, knock. Queen Esther was standing at the king’s door. The door seemed so tall, wide, dark and heavy, and she was very nervous. Her heart pounded inside her chest. Could she really walk to the king’s golden throne without his permission and be spared her life? Would King Ahasuerus become angry with her and order his soldiers to take her away? Finally the door squeaked open very, very slowly. It echoed loudly down the corridor. She walked in, scared but standing as tall and gracefully as possible.
“Esther! My queen! My darling! I haven’t seen
you in such a long time! What can I do for you? Anything! Ask me anything at all!”
Wrapped in his red velvet gown, King Ahasuerus was indeed very happy to see her. He loved her very much. Esther stood there confidently, “My king and my love, I would like to invite you and your good friend Haman to a special dinner tomorrow night.”
Esther had a special secret plan. The long table was decorated with richly coloured tablecloths, gold-embroidered placemats and flickering candles. The silverware had been polished to a high gloss and only the most delicious spices were used for the king’s cuisine. At the special dinner, Esther said to Ahasuerus, “My king, my love – I have some very odd news for you….”
“Go on my love,” he said. Queen Esther proceeded, “Did you know that somebody at the palace has declared that all of God’s people should die? It has been passed as law. I’m very sad and worried about this because I love the living God too, and I surely do not wish to die.
King Ahasuerus was very angry at this news! He loved his kind wife and did not want her to die. “This is preposterous! This is outrageous! This is beyond belief!!!” he shouted as he tore at his royal gown. “Tell me, who is this cruel person who made up this awful, awful law?!”
Gulp! Haman swallowed hard. He knew exactly who Esther was talking about. Never would he have imagined that the king would be so angry about this. Maybe he had underestimated what the king was willing to tolerate. Drops of sweat formed at his brow. Suddenly he was very very nervous, feeling very hot under his clothes, scared. He knew what the king was capable of. He had worked for the king for many, many years. He sank low into his chair. He wished with all his might that he could hide right now.
But Queen Esther felt God’s Spirit with her and God’s Spirit always gives us courage, power and a sound mind. She looked Haman steadily in the eye as she replied to her husband, “It was Haman who made that law.”
That night, King Ahasuerus ordered his soldiers to take Haman away and the special dinner turned into a terrible punishment for Haman. The king repealed the cruel law and all of God’s people were saved. They were very thankful and praised God.
It was because of the prayers and faith of the people and Queen Esther’s own faith and courage that God was able to save them. God always listens to our prayers and He loves it when we put our faith in Him.
Has God listened to your prayers? Tell us about it in the comments below xx
(images copyright and owned by The glory story via Free bible images)
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