Who's Waiting With You?
Part III
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 do in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. [Esther 4:16]
At this point in history, Esther had a lot on her plate. She had been asked by her uncle to approach the king, her husband, on behalf of her people that their lives may be spared from a genocide that was planned to take place. She was afraid and needed support more than ever.
I don't know if you've ever tried to fast on your own but it sure is no easy task. Oftentimes I begin with intentions to fast until a certain hour only to forget all about it. But accountability, oh how it changes things! Esther called not only the people of Shushan outside of the palace walls to fast, she always challenged her maidens to fast with her. I'm sure they saw her tears and weak moments. I'm sure they heard her prayers. But more than that, they fasted with her. They were weak with her. They cried with her. They prayed with her. They waited with her! In those moments I'm sure her maidens brought her strength, they brought her accountability, they helped her to focus on the task at hand.
Yes, these are a whole lot of assumptions, but I know for a fact that Esther would not have been able to complete three days of fasting from both food and drink without a solid support system. You may be approaching a daunting task, you may need to hide yourself away with those you trust in order to fast and pray. You may need the support of accountability partners and prayer partners as you wait and consecrate. So again, it matters and must be asked, "Who's waiting with you?"
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