Full transcript of “Like Esther, You Must Pray Before You Face the Battle”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:02 There will always be battles in life and the way we face them determines whether we win or not. John 16:33 tells us these words from Jesus himself. I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. Jesus says to us in this verse that in this world you will have trouble. Many verses of scripture tell us about the different battles that the Christian faces both spiritually and physically. But praise be to God who has not left us
0:49 without a way to win those battles. What matters always is having the right strategy to win those battles. And today we see in scripture one way in which we can face every battle. The Bible tells us in the Old Testament the story of a rather unassuming young lady who won a very remarkable battle today. The Bible tells us the story of Queen Esther. Now, you may not realize just how great this battle was or how remarkable it was that she won until you take a look at Esther's life. Esther didn't start out as a queen. She started out as a young woman, an
1:36 orphan, one of the Jews that was in exile at the time after being taken from Jerusalem during the captivity. She was of the tribe of Benjamin and was raised by Morai, her cousin. Scripture tells us that after Vashi's fall and after the king's fury had subsided, he remembered Vashi and what was decreed concerning her. Then the king's personal assistants made a proposition for the selection of a new queen to be made. And that selection was the beginning of Esther's story. After the selection, Esther became queen. But then the new blissful royal life she
2:24 had just entered turned to ashes when Hmon strikes and tries to end the Jews because of his hatred for Morai. This was the beginning of the battle the queen had to fight. Scripture tells us that the whole Jewish community in Susa was in panic because of this decree. And Morai had asked Esther to find a way to speak to the king. But the problem was Esther had not seen the king in 30 days. And no one went into the king unless they were invited, not even the queen. They could even be killed. And in Esther 4:16,
3:10 the Bible records that Esther said to Mori, "Go gather together all the Jews who are in Souza, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for 3 days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. In this verse, I see Esther, a young woman who was faced with impossible odds. In fact, dangerous odds. But she doesn't run away. I see in her someone that must have been
3:56 scared, troubled, torn between the need to save her own life and the fact that she could not watch her own people die. And we all know that fear today. Maybe not in those distinct terms, but we have faced that fear of things that are overwhelming. The fear of making impossible decisions. that fear of facing situations that terrify us. But even in her fear, she was resolute. And she had one answer, only one request of Morai, that they fast for her. That was Esther's ultimate answer. And I believe that is where the power
4:43 lies in her faith, in the fact that she knew God and she knew to call upon him in distress. This is where the power came from for Esther and the Jews to truly triumph in the battle. Esther prayed, the Jewish community prayed, and they fasted. Esther 4:1 16 records that Esther, the whole Jewish community, and her maids were fasting for three days and nights. And on the third day of the fast, Esther went in unto the king uninvited. She didn't just wait around after praying. She acted in faith and stepped
5:28 out. And the Bible says she found favor in his sight. And the king stretched out the golden scepter to her. From there, Esther was able to expose Hmon's evil plot and save the Jews. I believe that all of this could have gone very differently if Esther had chosen another path. If she had not known to trust the Lord as she did. If she had not been willing to stake everything on that knowing. I believe there is something about fighting all our battles with God that will always make all the difference. Knowing to pray and call on him will
6:14 never get old. And that was what saved the Jews ultimately. A young woman and her people's prayers. The strategy that saved the Jews from annihilation was prayer and ultimately trusting their God and knowing to go to him. However, they did not just pray. They fasted. And it is necessary that we remember that fasting was involved. There has always been something about fasting and prayer from time that facilitates answered prayers. Even Jesus spoke of it during his ministry. When we pray and fast, we are brought
7:02 closer to God. We are more intimate with him. And in that window, fear falls away. Our flesh becomes weaker and our spirit becomes stronger. Our faith increases and unbelief decreases significantly. As Esther prayed and fasted, I believe clarity came. She grew bolder. Wisdom came. She knew what to do. And from there, it was easy to win the battle. One thing Esther's story says to us over and over again today is that the Lord fights for his own people when they ask him to. When you invite God into your battles,
7:48 he goes all out for you. When you invite the Lord to fight for you and you trust him to do so, when you call upon him, he himself will fight for you. For every battle we face, we must learn that the first person that must step into that battle with us is God. He is our guaranteed victory. When God steps in, wisdom comes, clarity comes, boldness comes. In fact, in lots of cases, he helps our understanding. We may be seeing the men behind the battle, but God sees something deeper. He sees and battles the spiritual forces behind our battles as well as the
8:35 physical forces. There is one other thing that really struck me about Esther's story as well and her victory. is that Esther had a community of believers with her. She was not alone. The Jewish community, her maids, they all stood with her. First, I must emphasize that the bottom line is to pray and stand in faith. Even if it is just you saying the prayers, you are also good to go. But when you can join hands with people who believe what you believe and are willing to stand with you, that is power and grace multiplied.
9:23 The Bible tells us in the book of Acts chapter 4 of the apostles. The Bible tells us of how they went back to their company and prayed after the threats of the priests and after the prayers. The Bible says the whole house was shaken. It's good to have a burning altar when your battles come. It's good to be able to pray alone, but it's even better when you have people who are willing to pray with you. It's even better when you have your own company. I believe there are some questions we all must ask ourselves today. Is your first response to battle asking God to step in? Do you trust him enough to ask him to
10:09 step in? Do you even remember to ask? Do you prioritize prayer and fasting? And who is your company? If you have not made it a habit to start your battles with prayers as Esther did, if you have not made it a habit to call upon God before you fight, then this prayer we are about to have can be your first invitation to him. If you are ready to say that prayer today, say it with me. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me this understanding today.
10:54 Thank you for helping me to see the strategy for victory in any battle. Thank you, Lord. Father, I ask you to take over all the battles I've tried to handle on my own and haven't given to you. Please have mercy on me and take control today. I've tried and struggled to win by myself, but it hasn't worked. So often, I've only called on you after things got worse. I've focused on the physical side of my struggles and missed the spiritual side. I've paid attention to the people involved because that's all I could see. But I don't want to do that anymore. Lord, Father, please step into my battles today.
11:41 Take control where I have reached my limits. Give me wisdom to know what to do, patience to wait when needed, and discernment to understand what is really happening. Help me not to judge every situation just by what I see. There are things I may not understand, conversations I may not hear, motives I may not know, and spiritual realities I may not notice. But nothing is hidden from you. You see everything, both seen and unseen. You know the true heart of every matter. Please lead me clearly and protect me from making wrong choices.
12:26 Lord, please give me favor where I need it. Bring the right people into my life at the right time. Open doors that are meant for me. Give me peace with those I need peace with, wisdom when I speak, and courage where I have felt afraid. If there are people meant to help me, connect us. If there are people I should avoid, give me the strength to walk away without feeling guilty. Let my victories come not from pride, anger, manipulation or fear, but from
13:12 obedience, prayer and trust in you. Father, I ask you to surround me with the right people. Give me friends who love you, who have strong faith, who pray sincerely, and who speak the truth with love. Take me out of groups that weaken my faith, feed my fears, or push me away from your will. Bring friends into my life who understand prayer and support my trust in you. Help me avoid those who pull me away from you. Give me a community that helps me stay faithful.
13:59 Lord, help me keep my prayer life strong. Don't let me pray only when I have problems. Build a steady relationship with you in me. Teach me to pray when I feel strong, not just when I am weak. Help me seek you in peaceful times, not only in hard times. Let prayer be part of my daily life. Make my prayer life alive again. Restore my consistency, hunger, and discipline where I have lost them. Father, teach me what fasting really means. Help me see it not just as a religious act, but as a way to humble myself
14:46 before you. Help me control my desires so my spirit grows stronger. Teach me to let go of what weakens me and make space for what brings me closer to you. Let fasting strengthen my faith. Quiet my mind and help me hear your voice more clearly. Lord, help me keep living this way. Let it change me for good. When I face hard times, teach me to turn to you. When I feel afraid, help me come to you in prayer. When things feel too much, remind me I don't have to panic. I can choose to respond with faith.
15:34 Father, thank you for revealing your word to me. Thank you for showing me through Esther's story that battles are won when your people seek you, trust you, and obey you. Thank you for your mercy, grace, and wisdom in Jesus' name. Amen. I hope this devotion blesses you and reminds you to bring every battle before God first. May the Lord strengthen your prayer life and surround you with people who will stand with you in faith. If you have any prayer requests, feel free to share them in the comments. We would be honored to pray for you. May the good Lord bless you today and always.
