Esther - A Model for Intercessory Prayer

This is what I shared in our Prayer Chapel on January 14, 2011.

These Scriptures are from the Book of Esther

Chapter 5

1Now it came about on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace in front of the king's rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace.

2When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.

Chapter 7

2And the king said to Esther on the second day also as they drank their wine at the banquet, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done."

 3Then Queen Esther replied, "If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my petition, and my people as my request;

 4for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated.

Chapter 8

3Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept and implored him to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. 4The king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king.  5Then she said, “If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces. 6"For how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?"

Commentary

Esther is a portrait of an intercessor. In ancient times, “to intercede” meant to petition the King on the behalf of others. Intercessors are not prayer warriors. Prayer warriors ride into battle with blazing eyes and swords held high, ready to route the Enemy.  Intercessors, on the other hand, put on their royal robes – they clothe themselves with Christ, and they boldly approach the King – the King who is also their Father.  They throw themselves at his feet and lay their head upon his chest and listen to his heartbeat.  From that place of divine communion, they pray the Heart of the Father into the world – His Heart that IS Love.  They know they do not deserve this honor. It is only the favor of the King – it is grace – that allows them to plead their case before Him.  They also know they are not alone, for their Great High Priest, Jesus, is kneeling beside His Beloved Bride, also interceding: “Father, how can I bear it if my people perish? How can I endure the destruction of my kindred?” From that place of communion, intercessors pray the Love of God into our wounded world through the Holy Spirit.  Intercessors are, as Mother Teresa would say, “Contemplatives at the heart of the world.”  Intercession is a Trinitarian response to the brokenness, sin, and darkness we see around us.  The Father, Son, and Spirit – Prophet, Priest, and King – in divine communion, share their heart with the intercessor who acts as an intersection point between heaven and earth, allowing the Holy Spirit to breathe life, healing, and shalom to a world desperately in need of hope.

Prayer of Intercession

O Great Father, King Divine, Grant us, we beseech Thee, Your Divine Favor.  We live in a lost and broken world, that is marked for destruction and annihilation.  How can we bear it, if our people perish?  O Great Father, pour out Your Love and Life upon us. Send your Spirit to renew, to restore, and to awaken Your People.  Please empower us by Your Spirit to preach Good News to the poor.  Heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds. Set the captives free – set free those who are imprisoned by sin and by lies – by lies of Satan, by lies of the world. Set us free by your Truth. In Your Light, we see Light. Open blind eyes, shine into their darkness and reveal yourself to them as the One Who is ALL – All they need for life, for joy, for hope, and for healing. 

Father, our world is so dark and at times we want to shield our eyes from the wounds that surround us. Please send healing in your wings, and open our eyes to see as you see, to love as you love, to forgive as you forgive, to bless as you bless. Please transform us to be like Jesus.

God, we long for your Presence. Please – please – show us your Glory. Let all of your Goodness pass in front of us. We want to be aware of Your manifest Presence surrounding us. We want to be aware of Your Holiness, Your Power, and Your Goodness. O God, it is your kindness – your kindness - that leads us to repentance. Pour out Your Kindness upon us.  Forgive our iniquity and our transgressions, and, if we have found favor in your sight, take us as Thine Own – as Thine Own -Possession.

Please, O King, we beseech Thee – we beseech Thee… for You – humble us, Adonai, as we seek Your Face. We ask, please, pour out Your Spirit upon us. Open our eyes to see You as You really are and to see ourselves as You see us. We beseech Thee, as we kneel and pray with Your Beloved Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Amen.