Thursday of 2nd Week in Lent
Esth C 12, 14-16, 23-25; Mt 7: 7-12
Can you imagine? Just imagine prostrating yourself on the ground from morning till evening and praying over and over again. That’s what Esther did, and for a good reason. She was in mortal anguish because the enemies of her exiled Israeli people had gotten the King to issue a decree to wipe out, exterminate, eliminate, all of her people.
Now the King was Esther’s husband. So if anyone could do something, it would fall to her. But she knew that, above all, the King was a man of his word, and would have to keep his decree. Thus, the prayer.
So, just how does Esther’s experience relate to the advice Jesus gives in the Gospel. Jesus says- “Ask and it will be given to you”. Ah, yes, all we have to do is ask. How does Esther ask in her prayer? There is no question of her Faith as the Book of Esther attests; there is no question of her legitimate concern- the future of the Israeli nation was at stake; and there is no question of her sincerity- her prayer was earnest and from the heart. Now notice that she doesn’t pray for direct intervention from God. Rather, she prays that the Lord would work through her words to achieve her end, the saving of her people. Fortunately, her prayer was answered, and if you read the book of Esther, you will see how clever her solution was- or should I say, how clever God’s inspired words were.
Don’t we sometimes find ourselves feeling like Esther- frustrated, in panic, and in mortal anguish, as the roadblocks of life are thrown at us? We are being tested; and the Lord is looking for our response. We would do well to pattern our response after Esther’s. First, she had a relationship with the Lord. She was righteous and loved the Lord before this trial. That’s why prayer came to mind- not as a last ditch effort, but because her Lord was always important to her. In other words, she was a woman of great Faith. Second, she prayed with sincerity and piety. That comes out loud and clear in the reading. Third, she prayed for something that was good in the eyes of the Lord, to save her people. That can be hard on us, because what we want is not always what God might deem best for us. And yet, Jesus says that God will not give us a snake when we ask for a fish. So, whatever the answer to our prayer is- be it “yes” or “no”, we need to be open that it is God’s will for us. Next, she prayed that God would give her the words for her to move forward. And that is important- because we need to be involved in the solution. We need to let God work through us, so that God is walking with us through the thick and thin of it. And lastly, she was persistent. She kept after God all day and into the evening.
When you pray in the face of tragedy, remember the example of Esther. Because God loves you, and always does the best for you when you pray sincerely. And your prayer, like Esther’s, will be answered.
