Pray the Word with David Platt is a resource from Radical.net.

Esther chapter 4, verses 15 and 16.

Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai.

Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf.

Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.

I and my young women will all so fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. Two things I want to

point out in these verses. As Esther has heard from Mordecai that the king has made a decree

to basically annihilate, kill all the Jewish people. And Esther has a part she can play,

a critical part she can play in helping avert that by going to the king. Now she knows if she goes to the king

uninvited, she could lose her life. That's why she says, if I perish, I perish. So two things I want to

point out here. One, she's willing to die for the salvation of the Jewish people. Like, there is a surrender here

that I pray for in my life,

I pray for in your life that we would give our lives

so that others might be saved.

That in and of itself is enough to drive us to pray. But that's the point. The thing I want

to point out even before that in this verse, before that statement, if I perish, I perish, she says,

go and fast. Tell all the Jewish people to fast. And I'm going the same like seek God fast and pray and so I

I want to encourage you today even as this text is speaking to my own heart

let's fast and pray even as this text is speaking to my own heart,

let's fast and pray for this salvation of people.

And then let's lay our lives down so that others might be saved.

Now, you just think, what does that look like?

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