“Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”—Esther 4:13-14
These are the words of Mordecai to Esther, the young woman whom Mordecai had adopted after her parents died. Through divine providence, she was selected by King Ahasuerus to replace his rebellious …
“As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's …
“For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”—Ezra 7:10
“For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law”—Nehemiah 8:9
Ezra was a scribe who set himself to study the Law of the Lord and to obey it. Later, we read that he instructed Israel, and thankfully, the people had ears to listen to what God was saying. This stands in contrast to a past generation of Israelites who refused to hear the words of the Lord …
“O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”—2 Chronicles 20:12
Imagine being responsible not only for your own fate, but also the fate of a nation. That’s the predicament Jehoshaphat found himself in when a great army was moving against the land of Judah. Filled with fear, he “set his face to seek the Lord” and called the people together to fast and pray for God’s mercy and protection. He prayed earnestly, confessing …
“Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”—1 Kings 3:9
At the beginning of his long reign, God gave Solomon an invitation to ask for whatever he wanted. “Ask what I shall give you,” the Lord told him. Solomon prayed for the gift of wisdom—the gift of discernment or the ability to make the best choice when confronted with a number of options. God commended Solomon for not asking for a long life, nor riches, nor for the …
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”—1 Corinthians 10:13
On one occasion, a Christian woman came to the Elders of our church and asked for special prayer because she was so terribly tempted to accept the pressure from her male friend that they become sexually intimate. Because immorality had been in her background, she found herself weary of resisting his overtures and was about …
“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”—1 Corinthians 5:6-7
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”—1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.”—1 Corinthians 3:12-13
All believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give account of themselves to God. Let us suppose that every deed we’ve done since our conversion is turned into either a piece of precious metal or a piece of straw depending on the quality of the work. Then let …
“And because of him (God)you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God,righteousness andsanctification andredemption,so that, as it is written,“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”—1 Corinthians 1:30-31
When we think about Christ’s relationship with us, we immediately think of what He did for us as our substitute, bearing our sin on the cross. But He is not only our sin-bearer, He also embodies all that we need for our continuing spiritual growth and strength to face all of life. In other …
“If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. But if he says ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”—2 Samuel 15:25-26
Last week we joined David in giving praise to God for being delivered from Saul. Today, I shall introduce you to a prayer of his that’s one of utter despair. Yes, God delivered David from Saul, but now more ominously, the question was whether God would deliver him …
