Works of God in the book of Esther

Tremendous works of God were written in the book of Esther. Out of so many works of God, few are listed below.

1. God's grace is always upon His people

The future of God's people is not decided by their current situation but it's decided only by the grace of our Lord. The grace of God is always upon His people, wherever they are and whatever they do.

Esther was a slave in the kingdom of King Xerxes. Her parents were dead. She might have never thought that she will become the queen of the nation where she was a slave. Only by the grace of God Esther became the queen of that nation.

Those who obey God's commandments are His people. They will receive His grace.

2. God knows whom to keep where

It is not by the might of the people or by their talents that they deserve their position/status/authority in society. It is God who decides to give the position/status/authority to His people. The only quality He expects is reliability.

Esther was not the only woman among the Israelites who were slaves under the King Xerxes. But God's chose only Esther to be the queen among all the Israelites. The qualification that God found in Esther was her reliability. Esther was not carried away by her status as a queen in the kingdom of Xerxes. Whether she was a slave or she was a queen, Esther worshipped only the true God and always remembered her people who were slaves.

So, whatever position or status we possess, the quality of being reliable to God should be within us always.

3. God makes His people find favour with men

God makes His people to find favour with men, whenever and wherever they need it.

Favour with men was provided to Esther whenever she needed.

When Esther was in the King's palace, she won the favour of all men there. ".....Esther won the favour of everyone who saw her". - Esther 2:15

When Esther went into the presence of King Xerxes to speak in favour of her people, God commanded the favour of the King to Esther. She was able to convey all her requests and wishes to him, to protect her people from destruction. "...He (King Xerxes) was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand". - Esther 5:2

Esther was obedient to Mordecai, her uncle. Also, she didn't just rush into the king's presence, but fasted, prayed, and only then went into the king's presence.

God's favour is given to all people who obey Him and elders, and to all those who persist in Prayer.

4. God honours His people

God honours His people and gives recognition to His people who do good in all circumstances.

When two men planned to assassinate the King, Mordecai informed the plot to Esther who in turn reported it to the King (Esther 2:21-23). Mordecai was made a slave by King Xerxes in his kingdom. So he could have stayed quietly without disclosing the assassination plot to anyone. Yet he did what was commanded to him in the scriptures through his elders. This goodness of Mordecai was forgotten by the King at that time. But God didn't forget it. God didn't give sleep to the King Xerxes until he recognized Mordecai's good work. Also he was honoured by the hands of his enemy Haman, who planned to hang him in the gallows.

When we do good in all circumstances, we'll be honoured by our Lord.

5. God protects His people

God will surely protect His people who humble themselves and pray before him.

Before any trouble comes to His people, God will choose an Esther and a Mordecai to protect His people. So, when His people humble themselves and fast and pray to Him, He'll surely protect them from all foes and troubles. God always gives more than what we deserve and what we expect. The people of Israel were not only protected by the Lord, even their enemies were given into their hands.

When we humble ourselves and pray to Him, we'll be protected by our Lord.

Conclusion

God is unchanging. He is not a man to change His heart and His character. This God of Esther, Mordecai and Israelites is the same God who is living today. Lets be His people and get all His blessings. Amen.

Powerfully Effective Prayer

The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
- James 5:16 (Webster's Bible Translation)

Note the words "powerfully effective". Webster's translation (and the Tamil Bible) has put this very clearly. There is something different about the insistent prayer of a righteous person. It is a powerful prayer. It is highly effective. How do we do this?

1. What is prayer?

Prayer is a conversation with God. It is more than just talking to Him, or asking from Him. It also involves listening to Him. Prayer is a channel through which we receive His will for us and His blessings.

2. Why pray?

First, we need to pray to renew our spirit. In order to live our spiritual life and to overcome the flesh, prayer is vital.

Secondly, we are called to be co-workers with Christ.

"Without God we cannot; without us He will not" - Author unknown

One of the interesting things about the way God works is that, He has restricted himself to work through His people. He has chosen to work through our eyes, our lips, our hands and our legs! By our unwillingness we can stop God's work. By not asking of Him, many blessings can get blocked. By our prayerlessness, many could stand to miss their salvation. Let us not be slack concerning prayer!

3. Effective, fervent, righteous

How to pray effectively? Start with obedience. Are we living according to His will? Prayer from a sinful heart is detestable to God (Read Psalms 66:16-20, Proverbs 28:9). Confess your sins. Get forgiven.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Cor. 5:21

Put on the righteousness that is ours through Jesus Christ. God hears the prayer of a righteous man. Once you're made righteous through Christ, move on ...

Pray with faith, from a sincere heart. Give your best time for prayer. Not when you're tired at the end of the day. Whichever period of time you'll be fresh, spend a little of that freshness praying to God. Be focussed while praying, don't be distracted by what you need to do later, or what you did previously, or any other thing ...

Let's not restrict prayer to just a particular period of the day. Pray while reading the Word. Rather than reading a whole chapter or a whole portion, and then praying, pray as you read. Pray while you brush your teeth. Pray while you commute to work.

Integrate prayer into day-to-day activities.

The things that we pray for will surely be granted to us if ... read John 15:7,8. The second part of that portion has the key, which is easy to miss. If we ask for anything that will bring glory to our Father, it will surely be done. It is that simple! Let's be unselfish when we ask. Examine the intentions of our heart for all the things we ask. Are we asking for our own pleasure, or are we asking so that God's name is glorified? Even our personal needs like buying a bike, a car, a house, a piece of land, a jewellery item, clothes, ... will those bring glory to God?

And finally, for effective praying, pray expecting that God listens and that He answers.

4. Need righteousness, not perfection!

In the verses following James 5:16, we read about a prayer warrior: Elijah. He single-handedly opposed the prophets of Baal and beheaded hundreds of them. The next moment he was running away from the wicked queen. He went from a bold proclamation of God's greatness to a cowardly request to God to take his life immediately! Elijah was by no means perfect. But when he prayed earnestly God answered Him powerfully.

Likewise, let's not wait for the day when we'll become perfect, but go boldly before God, putting on Christ's righteousness. Our prayers would then be powerfully effective! What if ALL our prayers become POWERFULLY EFFECTIVE?