In Esther 8, we read about the second time Queen Esther risked it all to come before the king and plead the cause of the Jews. As such, it may be easy to simply gloss over this interaction, but there is something truly profound and beautiful to see here! Go back and read verses 3–6 again.

Consider these phrases:

“If it pleases the king …”

“If he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do …”

“If he is pleased with me …”

What does this sound like to you? It’s essentially a prayer!

Christ follower, what if we approached the Lord this way? What if we interceded on behalf of others as Esther did? What if we were real before the Lord in our prayers and were willing to weep and cry and plead? What if in everything we prayed, our attitude and approach was, “If it pleases the King … If You regard me with favor and think it’s the right thing to do … If You’re pleased with me…” What if we prayed with such zeal, passion, affection, reverence, and devotion?

And here’s the good news: You have a King who eternally extends His scepter to you, so you can always come into His presence. You have a King who ALWAYS regards you with favor and is ALWAYS pleased with you in Christ! You never have to worry He will cast you out of His presence or incur His wrath.

So please, friends, let’s all commit to praying like Esther. Let’s commit to interceding with such passion and yet such humility, love, and reverence for the Lord. Let’s pray knowing He delights to hear from us. Let’s pray seeking that which pleases the King and is right!

Reflection Questions

1. What stood out to you in Esther 8-9:16? What can we apply from these chapters?
2. What can we learn from Mordecai’s full circle journey?
3. When was the last time you prayed like Esther did in chapter 8? What keeps you from taking this approach to your own life and to your prayer life?
4. Read Isaiah 61:1–3. How is God on a rescue mission? What does that mean for you personally, and how is He inviting you to join Him in this mission?
5. Consider the people in your life who are unaware of God’s love for them. What are some ways you can share the love of God with them?
6. What does it reveal concerning God’s character that He protected His people even when they were exiled?
7. What situation in your life is causing you the most agony or distress? How does the gospel apply to that situation and change its outcome?

This Week

Pray about how God wants to use you to be an Esther in the areas of passion and burden He’s given you and in the lives of the people He’s called you to help and reach.

Memory Verse

“Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. ‘If it pleases the king,’ she said, ‘and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?’”—Esther 8:3-6 (NIV)

Prayer Guide

Dear Lord, thank You so much that You always extend Your golden scepter to me and receive with me delight into Your presence. Thank You that, because of Your Son Jesus, I can “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that [I] may receive mercy and find grace to help [me[ in [my] time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). I thank You that in You and through faith in You, I may approach You with freedom and confidence. I thank You that Jesus “came and preached peace to [those] who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, [we] are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people” (Ephesians 2:17–20 NIV). May I be as real and genuine as Esther; may I always seek Your good and Your will in all things. And may I always, always pray all things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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