Fast Like Esther!

On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance. When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her. So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter. [Esther 5.1-2]

Dying on an empty stomach is what Esther faced. What happened here is so important for us to understand! Esther's fasting held great encouragement for her as it gave her reason to hope that Xerxes would indeed receive her and hear her request (instead of having her killed for approaching uninvited).

Had Esther had any doubts about being received by Xerxes, it might be thought she would at least get one last good meal before approaching him. And so is revealed carnal faithless thinking! But that is not what Esther did! She went before the king hungry and thirsty. Undoubtedly, she also went before the king weak.

There is something else that Esther did that should not be overlooked. In her hunger and thirst, she prepared a banquet of feasting and drinking for the king and Haman.

And Esther replied, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a banquet I have prepared for the king.” [Esther 5.4]

So, on top of being hungry and thirsty, Esther prepared a banquet of food and drink. Talk about torture! However, there is something even deeper to consider: what could have validated Esther's fast of food and drink more than, in the midst of it, to prepare a feast of food and drink? Think about it - there was no real good reason to prepare a banquet just to ask Xerxes a question. And, what's more, there was certainly even less reason to invite Haman too! Everything Esther did in her fast selflessly made the fast worse for her. Imagine preparing, not just a meal, but a banquet for your archenemy! In an unimaginable effort of spiritual strength, Esther disciplined not only her physical body but her mental and emotional state of mind as well.

As the story unfolded, the power of Esther's actions were revealed in the timing of Xerxes' difficulty sleeping that led to him remembering Mordecai's loyalty. And then, the assumptions Haman made in the midst of everything taking place could not have been more perfectly aligned with his demise. One can't just make this stuff up! While Esther was denying herself physical sustenance and emotional peace, God was setting up a series of events that not only saved Esther but all the Jews.

And we thought Esther's getting in just to see the king was a big deal! By the time she got there, God was already orchestrating a series of events that could not have been more tailor-made for her enemy.

So, before we launch off in a fast with a sense of self-piety, perhaps we should consider the circumstances causing us to fast and be ready to "prepare a banquet" for that obstacle as if to add insult to our own injury. If Esther's story tells us anything, God seems to enjoy "showing out" on behalf of those willing to get real in their fasting!

Father, I am so indicted by what is written here. Sure, I have fasted, but I feel like I have only really ever fasted for my own satisfaction. Help me to get past that! Help me to fast like Esther!