Esther Devised a Plan to Save Her People. What About You?

 Transcribed by AI

Radio Voice of Life, O Lord, see my loves, O Lord, see my loves. Dear listeners of the programme, O Lord, see my loves, greetings to you. I hope you are in good health and have a blessed life. We are thankful to God, thank you, dear Lord, for this opportunity to be with our listeners. Yes, I too send my warm greetings to our dear listeners. I hope they are safe and sound. Yes, because today we want to discuss a very interesting topic with our dear listeners. I hope you have been blessed by the life of Ruth and Naomi from our previous programme and see how a woman, who worships false gods, can have her life changed by turning to the true God. Amen. We see how God uses a woman, even though in our country, women are often undervalued. But we see in the Bible how much God values women and how others are blessed through them. I hope you will call us so we can send you this book, so you can read it and study the life of Ruth.

So, dear listeners, our discussion today is about a woman whose love for God is evident, how she strives for the salvation of her people, thinking of others even when facing death. Stay with us as we accompany our listeners with a song. Let's lift our hands in praise and rejoice together, saying, "Our Father, You are our friend." Let's lift our hands in praise and rejoice together, saying, "Our Father, You are our friend." We praise His name, seeking the power of the Spirit, thanking our merciful God. We praise His name, seeking the power of the Spirit, thanking our merciful God. We praise our Father, You are our friend. We thank You, Hallelujah, glory to His name.

Music, music, music. The story begins with Queen Vashti refusing to obey her husband King Xerxes. After she disobeys, the king decides to remove her from the palace and her position as queen. He issues a decree to bring all the beautiful girls from the 127 provinces under his rule to the royal harem. We see that Esther, a young Jewish girl, is one of those chosen in this gathering, and when King Xerxes sees Esther, he is so taken with her that he chooses her as his queen in place of Vashti. In Esther's mind, one of her cousin Mordecai’s sons has been taking care of her since her mother and father passed away, adopting her as his own daughter.

In chapter two of the book of Esther, verses 19 to 23, we read that Mordecai was also appointed to an important position by the king, and Esther had not yet revealed to anyone that she was Jewish because Mordecai had instructed her not to disclose this secret. Esther continued to obey Mordecai as she had done since childhood. One day, while Mordecai was serving in the king's palace, two of the king's eunuchs named Bigthan and Teresh, who were responsible for guarding the palace, became angry with the king and plotted to kill him. Mordecai learned of their plot and informed Queen Esther, who then reported it to the king in Mordecai's name. When an investigation was conducted, it was found to be true, and the king had both eunuchs hanged, and he ordered that this account be recorded in the annals of the kingdom.

Dear listeners, we see that in this empire, there are those who hold hatred and resentment against the king, even though they have food and everything under his rule. But why the hatred? We see that the king's own prime minister, Haman, is ambitious and selfish, having risen to the second highest position in the empire, appointed as prime minister. However, Mordecai and Esther are Jewish, and Haman harbours hatred against the Jewish people. For this reason, neither Mordecai nor Esther revealed their identity until Haman was appointed. At this point, everyone respects him and bows down to him, except for Mordecai.

Mordecai says, "I am a Jew; I cannot bow down to a man." Yes, and this incites Haman's anger, leading him to decide to annihilate Mordecai and all the Jews. Haman deceives the king to satisfy his thirst for revenge, compelling him to issue a decree for the extermination of all the Jewish people. However, Mordecai informs Queen Esther about this decree. Esther invites King Xerxes and Haman to a banquet, and during the feast, the king asks Esther what she desires, saying, "We will listen to your request, for you are the queen. Whatever you ask, even up to half my kingdom, will be given to you." But we see that Esther waits until the second banquet to reveal Haman's plot to annihilate her people.

At this point, we see that Esther knows that when she goes before the king, he has his own laws. The king may accept her or may not. She understands that if he accepts her, he extends his sceptre towards her; if he does not accept her, she cannot approach him without permission, and she risks death. Yes, she faces death, but she instructs her people to fast and pray. She says, "Gather together and fast for me. I will also fast and pray." What a heart Esther had for God, how much love she poured out, even putting herself at risk to intercede for her people and save them from the decree of the king.

Yes, as we mentioned at the beginning, Esther starts with prayer and fasting. Yes, and we see that God answers her. Yes, He hears her prayers and sees her fast. Yes, He sees her love. So, dear listeners, this message today is for you mothers, for you brave daughters, for you dear sisters in Afghanistan. Yes, at this time, you too are Esthers. Yes, and this message should give you courage. Yes, the only thing you have is the true God, who asks you to kneel before Him, to fast and pray, and He will prepare you. Amen, yes. When you prepare yourself for the salvation of your people and the situation in Afghanistan, miracles will happen. Yes, we understand how much pain you have endured, how many have been imprisoned, how much dignity has been put at risk. Yes, it is our duty as dear listeners to pray like Esther in front of God, to fast, and to entrust everything to God.

Yes, God is the all-seeing God, the hearing God, who watches over every moment of our lives, our country, our people. We see, dear listeners, that those who harbour hatred, those who are wicked, Haman, who is malicious, plots against Mordecai, wanting to hang him on the gallows he prepared for him. But Queen Esther, at the second banquet, reveals the secret that God has placed in her heart, and the king’s heart has been softened; God's hand is at work. We see that the king listens carefully to Esther's proposal and acts upon it, saying, "Someone is plotting to destroy you and your people," and the king asks, "Who is it that dares to destroy you and your people?" Esther replies, "It is Haman." The king immediately condemns Haman to death and has him hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.

Dear listeners, we see that if God is in our lives, we gain courage and strength. It is not about shouting loudly and forcing ourselves to go and say something. Today you see how much the oppressors strike with whips, with sticks, destroying lives. But this Queen Esther, despite being a queen with everything in her hands, trusts the true God, the God who created mankind, the heaven and the earth. She places her trust in Him, saying that the only weapon that makes her strong is her decision to turn to God with prayer and fasting. He hears her prayers and wipes away her tears, guiding her step by step. We see that in the first day, she does not mention the proposal, but on the second day, she speaks up, not delaying. Dear listeners, do not delay; fast for thirty days, and I will also fast.

She does not rush to go before the king, saying, "What if the minister does not support me?" Everything is done quietly, calmly, in the presence of God, with prayer and fasting. They demonstrate the power and glory of God, showing how strong God’s hand is, how He works to soften the hearts of even the hardest unbelievers. If we live according to God’s will, He will protect us, He will protect you. We must not look at others with hatred and disdain, as Haman did with the Jewish people. Because they are God's people, as stated in the Holy Scriptures, and the true God chose them from the lineage of Abraham. Today, in times of war, we should not look at everything through the lens of Israel. We should see everything through the lens of the God of the Scriptures. Humans have value; God created humans for Himself. Perhaps dear listeners may think that God only loves the Jewish people or only protects them from harm. No, dear listeners, you have seen.

In that time, everything has its own time. But God loved the Jewish people, His people, and after Jesus Christ came into this world, when Jesus went to the cross, there He demonstrated God's love for all humanity, showing that He loves all people on the earth. And dear listeners, we see that after the decree was proclaimed by Queen Esther, the king had Haman hanged, and then another decree was issued across the empire's 127 provinces that the Jews should not be killed. Here we see a revival, joy, and happiness among the people whose blood had dried up; they are revived again. Our prayer, dear listeners, today for our country is that God saw Esther's love, and Esther became a means for the salvation of her people to be physically saved from annihilation.

It is interesting that in times of hatred towards the Jewish people, God placed two people—Esther and Mordecai—within the kingship of that empire so that through these two, His people could be saved. So, dear listeners, today, if there are Esthers in our country, and Esthers working for the courage and salvation of the people in their hearts, amidst trials and strange thoughts, just as Esther was able to save the people of God from physical death, there is another person who came to earth two thousand years ago, who took on human flesh, and we see that He wants to save from spiritual death, that is, the second death. His name is Jesus Christ, our Lord, Jesus, through whom we cannot enter heaven. Jesus came to save us from the second death. If you believe today, you will receive this salvation, taste this love, accept and read the gospel, and your life will be transformed. Perhaps we may suffer in this body one day or get sick or be killed, but what will the second death mean for us? The most important thing in our lives is the second death, which we must not experience.

Dear listeners, in Acts 4:12, it says, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." So, dear listeners, Jesus is the saviour of the world. He wants to save you from the second death. This second death is certain, and we understand what will happen on the Day of Judgment. We want your names to be written in the book of life, and for Him to call you by name, so you may be in the presence of God eternally.

So, what blessings have we received from this programme? Yes, we received the vital blessing that we must bring everything before God with prayer and fasting. We must be silent. We should pray for our people, for our country. This is so our people, our country, can be freed from oppression and darkness, regain their freedom, and read and believe in the Word of God. Just as we read in Acts that there is no other name under heaven except Jesus. Why do we say only Jesus? You all understand that when the end times come, only Jesus will be there. The intercession of Jesus Christ is what brings salvation for you, dear listeners.

So, dear listeners, we have also learned that Queen Esther had a compassionate heart for others. Today, our hearts burn for you, for our dear people. Just as we have the joy of salvation within us, we want to share that joy with you. You too can receive salvation by having faith in Jesus Christ. God loves you; you are the queens of your time in Afghanistan. Do not lose hope, for beyond this despair lies the glorious Jesus Christ awaiting you. May God's grace and blessings be with you. God bless you.

I reached out to God in my distress and said, "O God, what is the solution?" I grasped His hand, "O Saviour, I have fallen into the fire." Saviour of sinners, Saviour of sinners, may Jesus Christ be. Forgiving every sin, may Jesus Christ be. Forgiving every sin, may Jesus Christ be. Forgiving every sin, may Jesus Christ be. Forgiving every sin, may Jesus Christ be. Both the spirit and light of God are here; the light that shines brightly, may Jesus Christ be. The light that shines brightly, may Jesus Christ be. The light that shines brightly, may Jesus Christ be. The light that shines brightly, may Jesus Christ be. The light that shines brightly, may Jesus Christ be.