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Defining Moments

Defining Moments
November 27, 2016

Scripture: Esther 4

I. You need to trust that God is sovereign in defining moments in your life.

A. In chapter 3 we read about the edict that Haman, the enemy of the Jews, had created. His edict was that on a certain day 11 months from now all of the Jews would be annihilated (3:13). Mordecai and the rest of the Jews were not just sad (vs. 1). They also fasted (vs. 3). The purpose of fasting from food is to express two things: sorrow for sin and your dependence on God. Jesus, of course, did not have to express sorrow for sin when he fasted for 40 days in the wilderness. Jesus never sinned. But Jesus did fast for those 40 days in the wilderness to express His dependence on God His Father. Matthew 4:4: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” When Jesus fasted, He was saying to God, “Father, I need you more than food. You and your words are my life.”

B. The Jews did something else to express their dependence on God besides fasting. Whenever you see people fast in the Bible, you usually also see them praying. Mordecai and the Jews fasted and prayed at this defining moment in their lives. They prayed because they trusted that God is the King of the world. And not only did they pray. Esther also prayed (vs. 16). They all prayed because they trusted that God could save the Jews.

C. But what do all of us need to do when God does not answer our prayer in the way we want in a defining moment? We need to trust that God is still sovereign even when He says no to my prayers. This is what we see Esther doing in vs. 16. After Esther urges Mordecai and the Jews to fast for three days, she says, “Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” Esther recognized that the outcome of her actions was not guaranteed. She had no promise from God that God would spare her life or the life of the Jews. But she would do what God had called her to do anyway. She would trust that God would do good for her and the Jews.

II. You need to take responsible risks in the defining moments in your life.

A. What were the risks that Esther needed to take? In vs. 8 Mordecai commanded Esther to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. At this point in the story no one – not even King Ahasuerus – knows that Esther is a Jew. She had successfully hidden her Jewish identity for many years in Persia. So if she risked revealing her Jewish identity she did not know if her husband the king would say, “What?! You are one of those people? You must die too!” And there was another risk that Esther needed to take that she pointed out in vs. 11.

B. There are defining moments in life where God will ask you – just like He asked Esther – to take a risk. God is the King. He is in control of everything. But that does not mean that you are not responsible for your actions. You are responsible. God wants you to act in certain ways, but sometimes it will take a risk on your part to obey God. Is there a risk that God is asking you to take today? Esther asked for people to pray for her. Sometimes we need people to pray for us to give us the courage we need to take risks for God.

Application:
Trust in Jesus the Sovereign King who can empower you to take risks for Him.

Sources:
The book of Esther
Commentaries on Esther by Karen Jobes, Iain Duguid and Frederic Bush