DCLM Daily Manna 16 November 2024 Devotional By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — When All Else Fails
TOPIC: When All Else Fails (DCLM Daily Manna 16 November 2024)
KEY VERSE: “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16).
TEXT: Esther 4:10-17 (KJV)
10 Again Esther spake unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai;
11 All the king’s servants, and the people of the king’s provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or women, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.
12 And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
MESSAGE:
There is a tale about a small town that had historically been “dry,” but a local businessman decided to build a tavern there. A group of Christians from a local church were concerned and planned an all-night prayer meeting to ask God to intervene. Shortly after that, lightning struck the bar, and it burned to the ground. The bar owner sued the church, claiming that the congregation’s prayers were responsible, but the church hired a lawyer to argue in court that they were not accountable. After his initial review of the case, the presiding judge stated, “No matter how this case comes out, one thing is clear. The tavern owner believes in prayer, and the Christians do not” (Family Times, 2023). In reality, the Christians asked for God’s intervention because they believed in prayer.
From our text, the responsibility of saving the Jews from imminent extermination and genocide fell to Queen Esther. Faced with a terrible decree that threatened the entire Jewish population, Mordecai, her guardian and uncle, contacted Esther to go to the king and make supplication for the Jews. Esther knew the protocols and the punishment attached to those who breached them. Yet, she asked the Jews in Shushan to pray and fast with her as she prepared for a historic ‘rescue’ mission.
Such challenges as life-threatening disease, terrible business losses, or natural disaster can threaten our peace. Help may not come from friends and families as expected. But when all else fails, we should remember to pray to the God of heaven, who alone does wondrous things. Sometimes, we need national prayer and fasting involving believers of precious faith to get the situation under control. Our God hears prayers and He cannot fail us.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
When all else fails, prayer is the solution.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
2 Kings 9-10
Deeper Life Daily Manna was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.
