Prayer is a request not a demand

Scripture Read: Esther 7:1-4 Now the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen. ² And the king said to Esther on the second day also as they drank their wine at the banquet, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” ³ Then Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request; ⁴ for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king.”   

Application: Do we limit what God desires to do in our life? This passage has some interesting truths in it. Nevertheless Lord, today what struck me was the desire of the King to shower Esther with blessing. The passage is talking about a literal feast and the plan that God gave Esther to save her people and how that unfolds. Yet, I am drawn to a wonderful application from Your Word today. How much do You Lord, like this King, desire us to ask so You can bless us in ways that we would never expect.

John 16:24 (NASB95) “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

This can be abused and we need to address that: the health, wealth, prosperity movement has perverted the concept of this prayer from the scripture in that they do not seek requests based on Your will and for Your glory. The tactics in their prayer is intimidation, demands, arrogance and flat out materialism. That is not what Your word is instructing us to do. Jesus was clear, He wants us to ask, the qualifier is “in My name” – that removes wrong motives, lusts and materialism. Yet, you might say “how can I ask for a BMW for the glory of God?” That’s a good question. The scripture teaches clearly in it’s whole counsel on prayer which I cannot do here, when we approach God for our needs and/or desires, we do so believing He will do according to His knowledge of what is best. That does not mean we cannot be very specific in what our exact desire may be, at the same time yielding in our words and our heart that our ultimate desire is that whatever God decides is best will be best! Jesus left us this example in the garden Mt 26:36–44, so did Paul 2 Cor 12:7–10. If I desire a nice car I can be very specific, still leaving it up to You if I get it. When we ask for things in this way and You give us our desire – the delight we have brings You glory! Father I do see You like this King, I may have one request, yet You desire to give me up to half of the kingdom. When we ask, leaving the final decision to You – You are more generous than we could ever understand. Let us ask, but in the way Jesus did. Not in a way that treats You as our genie from the lamp – serving our lusts and desires. We will destroy ourselves! Thanks Dad for knowing what we really need!

Meditation Questions: When you ask the Lord for things, do you use words like “I claim it” or “I speak it into existence”? What does that show? When you say “His will be done” what does that mean to you? When God says “no” to a request, how do you handle it?  Do you ever feel disappointed by God? What do you do with those emotions?   

Hanging on is better than just hanging

Scripture Read: Esther 6:10-14 Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.” ¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.” ¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried home, mourning, with his head covered. ¹³ Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.” ¹⁴ While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hastily brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Application: It is amazing how evil thoughts, plans and even sin itself, blinds people. Haman had been lifted up by the King and was honored by everyone in the court except Mordecai. Instead of just enjoying the fame and honor by the King and the majority of the court he became fixated on one insignificant person. Sin grabbed hold of him and he was entrapped by his own plans and not able to turn back. It is also note worthy that “the Haman principle” can bring others into the trap who will also be blinded to the truth. 

Consider how his wife and friends now counsel Haman -“If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.” Where was this counsel earlier? They knew who Mordecai was.  Esther 5:13-14 “Yet all of this does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” ¹⁴ Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows fifty cubits high made and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet.” And the advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made. Evil and sin blinded his wife and friends also. He told them Mordecai was a Jew but it apparently did not register. That is what makes this thing I call “the Haman principle” so dangerous. It almost takes on a life of it’s own. Someone hatches an evil plan, and then they bring others into it. The others do not have all the information; they are caught up in their connection to the one who is so upset. They are impacted by that person’s emotion – even to the point that they do not consider all of the ramifications of the plan. They become pawns to the momentum of evil that confirms to the individual that his plans are good, yet they do not see they are being used by evil to destroy this person nor do they see they might even be destroyed in the process. Just think if Haman’s wife and friends had warned him in chapter 5 the way they are warning him now. Yet, it is too late. The trap has already begun to spring and Haman will be caught. We too need to be warned. We need to seek godly counsel concerning our plans – especially when they include dealing with others over a sensitive or emotional situation. Before we jump we should hang on for a moment. Stop, pray, seek counsel – wait on God.

Meditation Questions: How quickly do you act on decisions? What does that show? What process do you go through before you come to a decision? After you make a decision, do you seek any confirmation? Do you approach a decision with an agenda? What does that show? Is that bad or good? Why? What are key needs in decision making? Do you only think through your decisions or do you write them out so you can look at them? Let others look at them?  

The impact of evil plans

Scripture Read: Esther  6:10-14 Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have said.” ¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.” ¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried home, mourning, with his head covered. ¹³ Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.” ¹⁴ While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hastily brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Application: Two aspects of the impact of the “Haman principle” First, Whenever we plan evil against someone, God will not only allow us to reap that evil ourselves, but many times He adds injury to insult. The person we planned to have fired through slander – gets promoted over us so they now have the power to fire us!. Your own mouth will be the judge of what will happen to you. It is ironic to see how it’s flipped around back at the perpetrator. 

The demise that Haman has spoken against Mordecai is exactly what happened to him in the end. In turn the very praise that Haman prescribed for himself would be heaped upon Mordecai! The couple we tried to break up, out of jealousy ends up married and we are alone! The house we swindle away from someone turns out to be right in the middle of a fault, and the earthquake happens right after you finish moving in! In eternity we will be amazed IF we get to see it, how many times those that planned evil were caught in “the Haman principle”! (Ps 37:12–13) The wicked plots against the righteous And gnashes at him with his teeth. ¹³ The Lord laughs at him, For He sees his day is coming.) The Second aspect is the hopeless situation “the Haman principle” leaves you in. Look at Haman, just a few minutes before he had convinced himself that he was the King’s favorite, he not only has to pay homage to the man he hates, but he knows the plans he has devised against this man has placed him in peril. Father, check our motives – guide us to integrity. Let us not allow evil to get a hold of us in a way that the very evil we are planning becomes a snare for ourselves. Keep us far from “the Haman principle” oh Lord!

Meditation Questions: When you dislike someone, what do you do? What should you do? Are they different? What does that show you? When someone does evil to you, what do you do? What should you do? Are they different? What does that show you? Do you get your plans approved by the Lord? Why? Why not? If your plans toward others is always for their best what will that do?

I am so beautiful, to ME

Scripture Read: Esther 6:4-9  So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him. ⁵ The king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” ⁶ So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” ⁷ Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, ⁸ let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed; ⁹ and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’ ”  

Application: Here we see a couple of more truths concerning the “the Haman principle”. A person that is setting themselves up for this trap I call “the Haman principle” is blind to the very trap they themselves are setting. There is a bit or irony in the “the Haman principle”. They have convinced themselves that they will not answer to anyone and  they have no fear of the wrong they are doing. Their arrogance has become so engrained that they believe all will see things the way they do. They have become numb to the idea that in the end no one really gets away with anything. The world says “what goes around comes around” or they call it Karma – God states it very clear – “ What a man sows, he will reap.” (Gal 6:7) When you are in the midst of “the Haman principle” you have convince yourself you are above this principle. Many go all the way to the end of their life thinking “they got away with it” only to find on the other side of the doorway we call death – their Maker is waiting to meet with them and confront them about the evil they have done. Another sign of being swept into “the Haman principle” is that you think life revolves around you. Haman had fallen so deeply in love with himself that he could not conceive of the King not thinking of him when the question was asked. When we become over occupied with ourselves we begin to manipulate life to go the way we want it to. When life does not submit to what you want – you lose control of sane thinking and can do some pretty incredibly stupid and evil things. The problem is once something stupid or evil is begun, we can lose control very quickly. Before we know it we have trapped ourselves. I know that I have done this with sin in my life and have had to pay the price. We need to learn from Haman here – stop! Slow down – make sure You are letting God lead you in your actions. He will never lead you into evil. If you have to confront evil He will show you how without it becoming personal or revenge. Father help us to understand the best way not to reap evil is to not SOW it!

Meditation Questions: How important to you, are you? Be honest. When someone is praised over you, how do you feel? If you heard someone saying something wonderful about someone but did not know who it was, would your focus be on what was said or hoping it was about you? When you get caught in a sin what is the first thing you do? What does that show? Do you believe you will give account for your life? What does that mean to you? 

The God of detail

Scripture Read: Esther 6:3-9 The king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him. ⁵ The king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” ⁶ So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” ⁷ Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, ⁸ let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown has been placed; ⁹ and let the robe and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’ ”   

Application: Timing, timing, timing!! The scriptures constantly make this point about how important timing is. How many of us live life so unconsciously that we miss seeing the hand of God in the issues of our life. We say we were lucky, or what a coincidence! We knock on wood or thank our lucky stars. Failing all the while that perhaps, unseen to the blind eye or unheard by the deaf ear, our Maker is at work in every scene. 

It is man that has portrayed our Lord as a God that is too busy, and only involved in the BIG things of this world. The scripture does not portray our God in such a way. Why do we? There are several reasons. 1) Just plain old sinful independence. We don’t want someone involved in our affairs unless they are invited. If God really is intimately connected to our life in every way then we cannot do whatever we want without accountability. So if we make You, Lord only involved in the “special peoples” lives, we can do what we want. How sad. 2) We make You Lord nothing more than a glorified human being, much like the Greeks and Romans did. A “superhuman”, still human, limited and flawed. Even superman had kryptonite! There has to be a weakness – because to be anything close to human requires those limits. The problem is that You, God, Who is above all gods, is not that in essence. Yes, You took on flesh, but the incarnation was not because of a limit to Your power – if anything it displays how powerful You are. Even C.S. Lewis, before he was a believer said that this was one of the difficulties he had believing in You Lord. If Jesus was God in flesh, while on earth, who ran the universe? In his own words he states how he was limited in his understanding because he tried to make You into someone he could comprehend. We cannot ever fully grasp You! Therefore, even though it appears impossible to do, our one God can be intimately involved with 6 billion plus humans! So when things “just happen” perfectly – perhaps we need to slow down to look for Your fingerprints!

Meditation Questions: What kinds of things do you talk to God about? Only “Big Ticket” items? Do your small issues matter to Him? Is your life moving so fast that you do not have time to evaluate your day and consider, what happened? Why? Who was involved? Did God do something? Do you believe God desires to be involved in the details of your day? What does that say? How should that affect you?

 

Timing is not everything, it is His thing

Scripture Read: Esther 6:1-3 During that night the king could not sleep so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ² It was found written what Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ³ The king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”   

Application:  Scriptures once again testify to Your perfect timing Lord – which all of us struggle with. As beings that think temporal and live right now in time – it is hard for us to understand how you see beginning to end and even potential outcomes. We forget that for You the words past, present and future mean something very different – our limited minds cannot understand that concept. You use time and understand it’s importance beyond what we can think. Father, so many times things happen and we do not even notice them, yet You may be putting together something that is completely beyond our imagination. 

We cannot see how time works or the possibilities it may bring, what we can do is to trust You in each and every situation. This can bring us much comfort if we will allow it. No matter what is happening, we can know that You are overseeing it all and have a plan. All Mordecai could see was his moment in history, and that is what he responded to. That’s all we can and should do or be in every moment we have. At the same time we can rest in our thoughts because we know that You are working everything toward Your plan which will be revealed at the time You decide. If the King had honored Mordecai earlier Haman’s hatred for the Jews would have remained hidden and it might come out at another time. You knew all this Father and in Your time You brought back to the King this record and now things are moving in a way that will not only expose the truth but bring a complete resolution to it. This will bring rest to our souls Lord if we keep before us this truth. In Your time Your plans for those You love will come to pass. Thank You Father for Your wisdom and grace! 
 

Meditation Questions: In the midst of a situation do you look for God? Do you believe in accidents? When you think you missed an opportunity, what do you do? What does that show? Have you ever gone through a situation and afterwards realized that God’s timing was involved? What does that say? How anxious do you get when you have to wait for circumstances to work out? What does that say?