Haman Is Executed

If you could have anything in the world, what would you ask for? I’m sure a lot of us instantly think of material possessions. A new house, an enviable wardrobe, a relationship we’ve longed for, or a totally different body type. Esther could have asked for up to half the kingdom, and yet she asks for something far more valuable than stuff. She asks the king for life, for him to spare the lives of both her and the Jewish people (Esther 7:3).

As we’ve followed Esther’s story, we’ve witnessed the courageous orphan girl gain influence for this exact moment. The moment when she bravely asks for the right thing. If the sparkly things around Esther had distracted her, if she’d lost her focus on God’s bigger plan, if she’d asked selfishly, she might have blown it. While God is certainly powerful enough to save His people another way, Esther was called to be a part of His rescue mission. And it was the most important work of her life!

It begs the question, are we asking God for too little? You see, it’s a lie the world is feeding us, that wealth and admiration is the end all, be all. As C. S. Lewis so brilliantly put it, we are “like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

When we’re only praying for a checklist of things to make our lives feel nice and tidy, we are praying too small. We are settling for things that will one day turn to dust and leaving eternal life on the table! God is honored by our big prayers. We glorify Him in our hearts when we turn to Him with our heart’s desire.

Like Esther, when our King asks us what we desire, our first request should be for life. If King Ahasuerus, of questionable character, knew how to give good gifts to his friends, then as the apostle Matthew said, “How much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11).

I admit that I have not always turned my desires over to God in prayer. I’ve falsely believed He’s too busy, or I’ve feared He won’t come through for me. While God is not a mere genie granting wishes, we must take seriously this instruction from Scripture: “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires” (Psalm 37:4).

The truth is, we don’t always ask for the right things. Sometimes we aren’t even sure if our motives are pure. At times, our thinking, our vision, and our requests are too temporal or small, but the good news is that God wants to hear it all. Let Him decide what to do with your requests, but don’t hold back in asking. If anything, we need to ask more boldly! We need to pray more vibrantly.

Like Esther, let’s approach the throne of our King with courage and make the most important request of all. Let us ask for life both everlasting and abundant. 

Plan ahead to read Joshua and Mark with us starting February 15. Shop the collection now for Digital Study Books for Lent!