Esther Reading Plan – W6D3
Check out all the previous Esther readings here.
Esther Reading Plan | Week 6 | Day 3
Prayer
Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. Do this three times. This helps you be more present and aware. Thank God that Jesus died and rose again and so you know you will rise to live with Him forever!
Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
Read these verses three times slowly.
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
Reflection & Questions
We’ve read this week of the grief of Mordecai and the Jews at the news of their impending destruction. We ourselves aren’t under threat of destruction, but to be human is to experience grief. We live in a world where brokenness and death are a reality and we have much to mourn.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians that Christians aren’t to grieve like the rest of mankind. The world grieves without hope. Their hearts break like ours do. They know what it is to love and to experience loss. But on death, they don’t have hope. They might say, “he’s gone to a better place”, but this is more of a wish, without any reality to base it on. For Paul, that’s not hope. Hope to Paul isn’t a wish or a nice soundbite. To Paul hope is confidence, conviction, and firm trust. We can grieve with true hope for believers who pass away because “Jesus died and rose again.” Jesus has blazed the trail – he’s gone through death and rose again. He’s demonstrated that there is life beyond the grave. So we don’t weakly hope for heaven. We have confidence and firm trust. We still grieve. But we grieve with hope.
- How would you describe to someone the difference between how people often use the word “hope” and how Paul uses the word “hope’?
- Do you grieve with that kind of hope?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Prepare to Meet with Jesus
Go to your quiet place. When there are no devices around that will distract you, take a deep breath. Blow it out slowly. Do that again. And do it one last time. Ask God for His help to read and understand.
Bible Reading: Esther 4:7-8
Read these verses three times slowly.
Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him. He told him about the exact amount of money Haman had promised to add to the royal treasures. He said Haman wanted it to be used to pay some men to destroy the Jews.
Mordecai also gave Hathak a copy of the order. It commanded people to wipe out the Jews. The order had been sent from Susa. Mordecai told Hathak to show the order to Esther. He wanted Hathak to explain it to her. Mordecai told him to tell her to go and beg the king for mercy. Mordecai wanted her to make an appeal to the king for her people.
Reflection & Questions
If Mordecai changed and dressed in the nice clothes that Esther sent him, he could go into the palace. However, he could not see the king whenever he wanted. He did not have an important enough job and was not friends with the king. Mordecai thought that since Esther was the queen, she could talk to the king about the situation. He felt that he needed to do something to fix the problem.
And he sure had a big problem that needed the king’s attention! Have you ever tried to get your brother or sister’s attention but they are busy or distracted and you just can’t seem to get them to listen to you? That feels frustrating, doesn’t it? I’m sure that Mordecai was frustrated too and desperate to get his message to the king.
So he reached out to the one person that the king WOULD listen to: Esther. She was in a position to do what he could not. When it comes to doing the right thing and standing up for someone who needs your help, sometimes it’s easier to do it with someone in authority.
When you need help doing the right thing, who do you ask? Perhaps your parents or a trusted teacher can come alongside you and help you stand up for what is right.
- Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to stand up for someone who was being bullied? What did you do?
- Is there someone in your life, a parent or a teacher that you can go to if you need help doing the right thing?
Pray
Thank God for the people in your life who will help you when it’s tough to do the right thing. Ask him to help you see when someone needs you to stand up for them and to show you who else can help you. Thank him for always being with you.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate