Day of Praise

Fr, 02/06/15, "Day of Praise"

"Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 'Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.'" - Esther 4:15-16

Here's some morning coffee. Thinking about the following question will probably wake you up!

What is held in common by the following list of people? Biblical Persian Queen, Vashti; Biblical Jewish man, Mordecai; Biblical Jewish woman, Esther; John the Baptist; Martin Luther; Martin Luther King, Jr.; Dale Carnegie; T.D. Jakes; and my daughter, Cassidy DeGreen.

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller? (That's a movie reference when a question was asked, and no one responded.)

Anyone?

Answer: They all believe in speaking up!

I love the way T.D. Jakes says, "Speak up!"

I don't know about you, but for as many times as speaking up has gotten me in trouble, I've gotten in trouble a whole lot more for not speaking up.

Speak up!

But let's take a quick lesson on speaking up from Esther in today's Bible verse. When speaking up:
1) Prepare: get prepared to speak up instead of just "winging it";
2) Look to God: the best preparation is something that sets our mind on spiritual things while at the same time turning us from the desires of our flesh, which is why Esther called for and carried out a fast;
3) Ask Others for Prayer Support: Esther asks Mordecai to "Gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me";
4) Count the Cost: Esther's speaking up will not become muddied by fear because she's acknowledging the potential consequence before she speaks. Counting the cost in advance makes it possible to speak up clearly;
5) Trust God's Holy Spirit to Guide: remember what the Book of Esther does not say. That's right! The Book of Esther does not talk about religious things like you'd expect from a religious book. But the very absence of religious language makes a huge point, namely, as helpful as religion should be, it is only helpful if it points us to God! Trust God to guide;
6) Just Do It!: the time will come when it's time to speak. Esther says, "When [the prep] is done, I will go to the king." Speak up!

So there's a few things we can learn from Esther about speaking up.

And how about we grab number three up there before we close? Let's pray for one another.

Dear God, many will need to speak up today. Grant that our speaking up will be moved by, inspired by, led by, empowered by, blessed by, and, when necessary, corrected by you, our great God and LORD of heaven and earth. Amen.

Praise God!