Esther 5:1
“Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, over against the king’s house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the gate of the house.”
The Jews faced troubled times. A law was enacted that the Jews in every province over which King Ahasuerus reigned would be killed. Esther had not been called into the presence of the king, and her Uncle Mordecai told her she needed to go at once and show her kindred and what was going to become of them. The problem was that she would be killed if the king did not hold out his golden scepter when she entered his palace. Fasting and prayer was held for Esther, and we see that the power of prayer allowed Esther to be used to save the Jews.
One must never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer is the one tool every Christian must learn to use daily. If there is anything in Christianity that is not used to its potential it is prayer. We can complain and gripe about what is not going right, but the answer is prayer. Prayer has the power to change many things in one’s life.
Prayer has the power to change one’s memory. For whatever reason, Ahasuerus had not called Esther into his presence for over a month. Yet, when the Jews prayed, his memory was changed once he saw her. Do you ever wonder if you are forgotten in a ministry? You should pray instead of griping or complaining about leadership forgetting you. Prayer can bring one’s mind to remember what they should.
Prayer has the power to change dispositions. Ahasuerus had to accept Esther, and prayer caused him to accept her once he saw her. You may not be accepted in the public arena of your workplace or schooling, but God can change the dispositions of those around you to accept your stance if you will pray. Maybe your spouse has a bad disposition, then pray and ask God to change their disposition. Maybe your parents or child has a bad disposition, ask God through prayer to make the changes in their disposition.
Prayer has the power to change desires. Prayer caused the king to want what Esther wanted. Prayer changed his desires to have a people killed to protecting them. Friend, prayer has the power to change the desires of anyone. Do you find some areas in your life where your desires are undesirable or wrong? Ask God to change your desires. Prayer has the power to change anyone’s desire toward what is right.
Prayer has the power to change history. The prayer of these people literally changed history. The Jews would be extinct had they not prayed. Your prayer life can change history. It can change the history of a wayward child. It can change the history of a troubled marriage. It can change the history of a broken life. It can change the history of troubled finances. It can change the history of a soured name. It can change the history of a dying church. Prayer has the power to change any history.
What do you face today that seems to be unsurmountable? Let me challenge you to let prayer change what you face. There is great power in prayer, but you must pray to realize its power. Don’t put prayer off and don’t get too busy to pray. You are missing the power that prayer can have in your life by not praying. Let today be the first day of seeing the power of prayer in the rest of your life.