Read Acts 2:1-41

Sociologist Christian Smith has studied the religious lives of American young adults and found them to be highly individualistic. Many believe “religion need not be practiced in and by a community.” Statistics documenting declining church participation support his findings that Americans increasingly believe that other people are not essential to an individual’s faith.

That idea stands in stark contrast to the communal Christianity we see modeled for us in the book of Acts. After that first Resurrection Sunday, the early followers of Christ did not scatter to their own private spiritual disciplines. Instead, the 120 believers found themselves almost constantly together, especially for prayer. Having received Jesus’ promise of the Holy Spirit, they confidently prayed together for the promise’s fulfillment.

The first church prayed together, and the Lord answered them together. On the day of Pentecost, “they were all together in one place” (v. 1) when tongues of fire came upon them and the prophesy of Joel came to pass: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. . .Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28, 29). As a community, God’s people were blessed.

But the answer to their prayers was not only for their own edification. The coming of the Holy Spirit equipped and empowered the church to proclaim Christ to those around them—and those as far away as the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). In a single day, the infant church grew by 3,000 people. Doubtless, those thousands of people who first trusted Christ at Pentecost gave thanks to the Lord for the community of praying believers who had first gathered in one place to intercede for their salvation.

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Private prayer is a priority of the Christian life (see Matt. 6:6), but when we pray together we multiply our thanks to God. Paul encourages the practice of praying together with others for others: “Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many” (1 Cor. 1:11). Look for opportunities to pray in community.

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Read Luke 22:31-46

A segment of the BBC series Human Planet depicts two fishermen harvesting rare goose barnacles from dangerous rocks along Spain’s northern coast. The men are attached to one another by ropes and take turns descending to the base of the rocks between onslaughts of violent waves. As one man gathers barnacles, he depends on the other to shout a warning when a particularly large breaker approaches and to pull him to safety if necessary.

Our calling as Christians often brings us into potentially dangerous situations. We struggle not against flesh and blood—or waves and rocks—but against spiritual forces of evil that seek to destroy our souls (see Eph. 6:12). To survive unhurt, we too must be constantly vigilant, both for ourselves and for others.

Jesus knew the vulnerabilities of His disciples. Earlier He had taught them to pray, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matt. 6:13). Now, on the Mount of Olives hours before His death on the cross, He reminded them that they would face a renewed onslaught of spiritual danger for which they must be prayerfully alert.

They failed at watchfulness, however. The evening advanced, and fatigue won. Thankfully, they were not alone. While their prayerful vigilance faltered, Christ’s never does. He is so alert and earnest in His prayers that His anguished sweat was “like drops of blood” as it fell (v. 44). While Peter failed to consider his danger, Jesus was praying for his spiritual safety (vv. 31–32). While the disciples snored, their intercessor was pleading for them.

Temptation presses us, but today’s passage strengthens us. We have been given warning of danger and help to escape it. We have someone who joins us in prayer.

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Puritan theologian John Owen wrote, “Be killing sin, or it will be killing you.” Are you aware of the danger of sin? What sins are particular temptations for you, your family, your church, or your community? Take a few moments today to pray for the Lord’s help to escape these temptations, and be encouraged by the thought that Jesus is praying alongside you.

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Read Ephesians 6:10-20

On the first Palm Sunday in Jerusalem, crowds of people gathered shouting Hosannas for Jesus the Messiah. But not everyone was jubilant. As our key verse today notes, the chief priests and teachers of the law reacted to the cries of even little children with resentment and anger. They knew public praise had great power, and they quickly tried to stop it.

Today’s passage places prayer among the spiritual weapons that God gives to His people for their spiritual battles. While our visible and immediate troubles—unemployment, family discord, illness—sometimes seem like our most pressing concerns, Paul reminds us that our most dangerous enemies are ones we cannot see. Whether or not we always realize it, “the powers of this dark world” and the “spiritual forces of evil” (v. 12) constantly attack the godly. To wage war against them, we need a special set of weapons. Earthly blades and bullets would be useless against the demonic arrows of Satan, so our Godgiven equipment is uniquely spiritual. To battle evil, Christians have an arsenal stocked with faith, truth, righteousness, and peace. And we have the powerful weapon of prayer, not only for ourselves but also through intercession for “all the Lord’s people” (v. 18) who are fighting the same battle. As theologian John Calvin commented, “We ought to fight by our prayers and supplications.”

Our spiritual war is often frighteningly intense, but these verses give us great confidence. The Savior who crushed Satan by His death on the cross has given us the most effective tools for the battle. By His Spirit, we are able to be strong and stand our ground. By His mighty power, even the praises of little children can shut the mouth of the Evil One (see Ps. 8:2).

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We may not always feel like soldiers, but God’s people are engaged in battle against the spiritual enemies of sin, Satan, and our own evil desires. Praying with and for one another is one of the pieces of our God-given spiritual armor. Take up the weapon of prayer with confidence, knowing that God will use your intercession to accomplish great things.

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Read Hebrews 10:1

When she was a teenager, Rifqa Bary came to Christ out of Islam. In hertestimony, Hiding in the Light, she recounts how she was first attracted to Christianity when she witnessed a prayer meeting at a friend’s house. Coming from the cold and regimented prayers of her Muslim home, she was astonished by how intimately these Christians prayed, as if they were simply talking to God.

This is the great delight of Christian prayer: calling on God our Father as an expression of our relationship. But as we see in today’s passage, the problem of our sin must be addressed before we can approach a holy God (v. 1). To demonstrate the immense burden of sin, the writer of Hebrews describes the great cost and effort required for the

Old Testament sacrifices. The blood of animals, which was offered by human priests, was designed to point God’s people toward the better sacrifice that was to come (vv. 9–11).

Jesus is both the ultimate sacrifice and the ultimate priest. His once-forall sacrifice is better than the ongoing presentation of the blood of animals. His perfect obedience, death, and resurrection makes us holy and secures our relationship with the Father. His sacrifice is so complete that the writer tells us “he sat down” (v. 12), not needing to do anything more in order to bring us to God.

Through the blood of Jesus, our prayers can be confident, sincere, full of faith, free from guilt, unswervingly hopeful, and encouraging to those around us (vv. 19–25). If we trust in Christ, we are free to call out to God in prayer with all the eagerness of children calling to a parent, fully assured that we will be heard with love.

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Prayer is not like a birthday wish or a magic abracadabra. It is our confident communication with God in the context of a mutually loving relationship. Our Savior Jesus Christ died so that we can pray to the Father with “a sincere heart” and “full assurance” (v. 22). Pray with this assurance today!

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Read Matthew 10:16-31

Wolves are often depicted as the bad guy in stories such as “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood.” They are sneaky and deceptive, threatening innocent creatures. Some scholars have argued that these stories were used to warn children about both these dangerous animals and people who exhibited these qualities.

Today’s passage contains a warning and a commissioning by Jesus to His followers. He tells them that they will face trouble, comparing their predators to wolves: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves” (v. 16). Jesus had given them authority over demons and sickness (10:1), but He also warns them to be on guard for danger.

He describes in alarming detail the trouble they will face. They will endure opposition and public punishment. They will be arrested and even suffer death for what they say, but they must not back down. God desires to speak through them (vv. 17–20).

Those who follow Christ will face betrayal, even by people who they trust. Persecution should be expected and not come as a surprise. We will be hated and despised on His behalf. While the disciples were to be on guard for this, Jesus also said they should not have a spirit of fear.

Why should we, as Christ’s followers, not fear these wolves? Jesus gave two reasons. First, our opponents can destroy our bodies, but not our souls. And, second, each of us is precious to God. He compares us to a small sparrow. If God is aware of sparrows that sell two for one penny, would He not be aware of each of His children? Yes, we will face opponents as fierce as wolves, but each of us are under the Father’s care. Because we are highly valued by God, we should not be afraid (v. 31).

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Jesus’ words to His disciples apply to us as His followers as well. We should not be surprised when we face persecution for His sake or speak truth on His behalf. Like the disciples, we can take comfort in knowing that we are valued by God. Because He cares for us and knows us, we do not need to be afraid.

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Read Isaiah 43:1-7

During a ceremony to receive the Most Valuable Player award, NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant gave a victory speech that paid tribute to his mother, Wanda Pratt, who supported and inspired him despite the hardships their family faced. “You made us believe. You sacrificed for us. You’re the real MVP,” he said.

Like a child paying tribute to his parent, we are designed to glorify our Creator. In the preceding chapter of Isaiah, God addressed His people’s disobedience. The opening verses of chapter 43 indicate an important contrast. Even though Israel had sinned (42:24), they were still God’s creation (43:1). And the God who had created and formed them would finish the work He began; He would not abandon them.

God is connected to His people. He has a vested interest in them. And because He loves them and knows them, they should not fear. They can count on God’s presence even in the most dire circumstances (v. 2). Being God’s child does not guarantee freedom from difficulty, but we can be assured that He will be present with us.

Like a parent defending her offspring, God will act in our defense. God went before His people in battle (vv. 3–4). He rescued them from their oppressors. They were not only created by God, they were also “precious and honored.” God’s love for His people is clearly stated in this passage.

Look at this glorious reunion, calling all of the sons and daughters of the Lord “from the ends of the earth” (vv. 6–7). What a grand assurance that, despite our failure, we can know that we are loved by God. We have been created and formed by Him. He has called us to Himself. And we will be used to glorify His name.

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In addition to the reminder that our lives are called to glorify our Creator, this prophecy from Isaiah speaks tremendous words of comfort. Read Isaiah’s reassurance: not only does God know you, He will be with you no matter what difficulty you may be facing. No matter how severe the problem, your God is present and will sustain you.

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Read romans 5:1-20

Many people feel uncomfortable in cemeteries. Psychologists say it is closely tied to our fear of our own mortality. When we see a gravestone, we may feel the emotional loss tied to the death of a loved one. We may be reminded that we too will one day die.

Although much of Romans 5 is spent discussing sin and death, the apostle Paul begins by assuring us of peace and hope. We can experience “peace with God” through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf (v. 1). The word peace describes our present condition, and hope looks forward, past our own physical death, to eternity.

Verse 12 describes the central problem for humanity: we have all sinned, and because of sin we all face death. The apostle Paul contrasts the sin we inherited through Adam with what we were given through Christ. The death of Jesus, on behalf of the ungodly, is very rare indeed (v. 7). Christ did not die because we had somehow proved ourselves worthy. Rather, He died for us as we were—sinners (v. 8).

Note the difference between Adam’s actions and Christ’s. The consequence of Adam’s sin was death. Physical death and sickness are a common part of our existence. But this sin also resulted in spiritual death or separation from God. Death “reigned” (v. 14) from the time of Adam onward. The act of Adam had grave consequences, but the act of Jesus on the Cross brought grace (v. 15). The gift of Christ counteracted physical and spiritual death. By rising from the dead, Jesus conquered the grave and guaranteed eternal life.

Every one of us will face physical death. The grave is a bitter reality. But through Christ, we have been given the extraordinary gift of eternal life.

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Graveyards are a stark reminder that none of us will live forever. Does the thought of death fill you with fear or hope? Be assured that you can have a hope for eternity guaranteed by God. When you believe in Christ as your Savior, you can be assured that when your body dies, you will be present with the Lord. Trust in Him today!

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Read Genesis 3:15-18

Michelangelo, the Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet, is remembered for his masterpieces, including the frescoes that cover the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. But his admirers might forget that his art required an incredible amount of painstaking work. Michelangelo said, “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all.”

Work can be rewarding, but it can also be just plain hard! The story of creation reveals God’s design for work. God Himself worked at Creation. The text says that God “finished the work he had been doing” (Gen. 2:2). And God also designed that man, created in His image, would work. He placed man in the Garden to care for it (2:15). Adam’s task would be one of caretaking for the garden and he would rule over, or care for, the animals (1:26).

In today’s passage, we see the fall out from the decision of Adam and Eve to disobey God and His design for their lives. Eve would endure the pain of childbirth (3:16). Adam’s curse would transform his work into “toil” (v. 17).

Bearing children and working were both a part of God’s original design. Both of these are intended to be good, intrinsic elements of human flourishing. But now those activities were affected by the Fall. Childbirth became laborious. Work became toil. The ground would be thorny instead of fruitful (vv. 18–19).

After God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, they would need to “work the ground from which he had been taken” (v. 23). Life would no longer be simple and pleasurable but strenuous and often difficult. Work, like childbearing, remained part of God’s design for humanity, but sin made it backbreaking.

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You may work a 9-to-5 job, be part of the new “gig economy,” or be retired. Nonetheless, we are all called to work as unto God (Col. 3:23). Whether or not we have an earthly boss, our ultimate responsibility is to serve God well with everything we undertake. That raises the bar, doesn’t it? Whatever you do today, do it for God Himself.

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Read Psalm 139:13-18

While today ultrasound technology is often associated with viewing a child while still in the womb, bats and porpoises have always used ultrasound to locate their food and predators. In addition to its use in prenatal care, scientists, inventors, and doctors also use sonar and ultrasound to detect icebergs below the surface of the ocean, to determine the height of the ionosphere, and to diagnose brain tumors.

In today’s psalm, David again talks about God’s intimate knowledge of us, but this time, he says that God sees us within the womb. The passage implies that conception is not merely a biological function but the creative working of God Himself (v. 13). David credits God with creating not just our physical features but our “inmost being.” Our identity, our looks, and even our personality have been designed by God.

Here David introduces the concept of God’s omniscience. God has the ability to see further than an ultrasound. He not only saw our physical frame in the womb but was also able to look at the details of our life. Each moment of our lives are “written” in God’s book (v. 16). Some may question whether this means we have no individual choice. But really it suggests that God has foreknowledge of the choices we will make, and He has a special purpose for each of us.

God knows our successes and failures. He knows when we will rejoice and when we will weep. Because of that, this psalm conveys an intimacy with God that surpasses all other relationships. David exclaims over his feelings toward God in verses 17 and 18. God’s thoughts are “precious” to him—yet they also escape his ability to comprehend them. God is both far beyond our scope and intimately acquainted with us, His creation.

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From the very beginning, your life was and is precious to God. As you spend time in prayer today, thank God that He knows you so intimately. Rest in the knowledge that your days are written in His book. Throughout every event in your life, God knows you and will be with you each step of the way.

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Read Psalm 139:1-12

German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen discovered the X-ray in 1895, and the first X-ray image he created was of his wife’s hand on a photographic plate. His wife was startled by the image, and is quoted as saying, “I have seen my death.” Roentgen’s discovery captivated the world and transformed diagnosis and treatment in medicine. He was awarded the first Nobel Prize for physics in 1901.

Certainly doctors have the ability to know us in an intimate way, to look beneath our clothing and our skin to see what is happening to our hearts, lungs, and internal organs. But this passage declares that God, who designed us, knows us better than anyone else. He is not only acquainted with our physical being, He knows our actions (v. 3) and even the words we will speak (v. 4). Each step we take is known by God. There is nowhere we can go that will be out of His reach.

The psalmist, King David, declares that God not only knows us as individuals, He lays his hand upon us and “hems” us in from behind and before (v. 5). The word hem means to guard or to border us. So, not only does God go before us as we move through life, He is also behind us, no matter where our path might lead.

For David, realizing God’s omniscience and omnipresence meant knowing the actions He did would be seen by God. There was no hiding from the Almighty who chose David for who He was on the inside and then loved Him despite His failures.

It is impossible for us to hide from God. Just as Adam and Eve discovered in the Garden of Eden when they tried to escape God’s notice, God sees us completely (v. 7). We are exposed, naked before Him. Nothing we think, do, or say is hidden from God.

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Take time to dwell on this amazing idea, and then read this psalm as part of your prayers to God today. The Lord knows what is in your mind and heart: the good, the bad, and the ugly. God knows what we need to confess to Him even before we say it. Therefore we can bring Him our praise, our confession, and our requests.

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Read GALATIANS 5:1

The lyrics of a popular worship song are rooted in Galatians 5:1: “It was for freedom that Christ has set us free, / No longer to be subject to a yoke of slavery. / So we’re rejoicing in God’s victory, / Our hearts responding to his love. / Jesus, we celebrate your victory. Jesus, we revel in your love. Jesus, we rejoice you’ve set us free. Jesus, your death has brought us life.”

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.” This means that freedom is at the heart of the gospel. This is not “freedom” in the contemporary North American sense of self-fulfillment or self-determination, but rather freedom from sin and freedom to obey God. This kind of freedom is the gospel’s purpose! The worst response people can make, then, is to allow themselves to “be burdened again by a yoke of slavery,” be it slavery to sin, legalism, works, false religion, or anything else.

Such teaching is irrational. Why would anyone choose to return to a state of bondage or powerlessness? The idea spits in the face of the gospel.

This verse is the summary and climax to this section of Paul’s argument in Galatians. The gospel must be maintained and defended. To add works or anything else is heretical, because that would mean we’re putting our faith in something other than the person and work of Christ. To do so is to regress from freedom to bondage, from truth to falsehood, from adulthood to childhood, from grace to works, and from salvation to sin.

We have every reason and all power in the Spirit to “stand firm”! This is a key biblical phrase, used throughout Scripture to indicate active faith (see, for example, Ex. 14:13; Isa. 7:9; Matt. 10:22; and 1 Cor. 15:58).

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Paul saw true freedom as being slaves to Christ (Rom. 6:22; 1 Cor. 7:22). An interesting book on this topic is A Better Freedom: Finding Life as Slaves of Christ, by musician and writer Michael Card. He explores biblical passages on this topic and reflects on them in light of the history of slavery in America and contemporary race relations.

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Read JUDGES 7:1–25

The weapons of warfare have changed dramatically over the millennia. From hand-to-hand combat with crude implements to the development of firearms to nuclear weapons and military drones, humanity continually devises new ways to gain a military advantage against the enemy.

By all accounts, ancient Israel certainly did not have a military advantage. When warfare was conducted by hand-to-hand combat, having fewer people meant the odds would be nearly insurmountable.

The Midianites, Amalekites, and other eastern people had an infantry as thick as locusts (v. 12). Israel’s army, whittled by God to a meager 300, was vastly outnumbered (vv. 7–8). More than that, the foreign oppressors had the advantage of a camel cavalry, and every soldier was armed with a sword. By contrast, the Israelite army was a poorly equipped militia, bearing not swords but trumpets, empty jars, and torches.

Why would God deliberately stack the deck against His people in this way? Didn’t reducing their odds only frighten the already timid Gideon? But of course it was exactly God’s intention to destroy the idea that this battle could be fought or won by human skill or savvy. His complaint that Gideon had “too many men” (v. 4) reminds us that the impossible odds in this story have one purpose: to preserve God’s glory. God will not share His glory with Gideon, nor will He share it with Gideon’s army. It must be clear to them, and indeed to all of the Israelites, that God alone had saved His people.

The final battle cry of Gideon’s regiment reminds us that the odds are never as impossible as they seem. Gideon and his men didn’t need swords, not when God planned to use Midianite ones!

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Where we see impossibility, God sees miracle. This is why the apostle Paul delighted in his weaknesses, claiming that God’s power was made perfect in them. Whether your weakness is a physical limitation, an economic disadvantage, or a paralyzing fear, what would it look like to begin trusting that God could use it to glorify Himself?

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Read JEREMIAH 17:7–10

A forest of quaking aspens in Utah is known by the name Pando, meaning, “I spread.” It’s also called “the Trembling Giant.” This is because all the trees in this 106-acre forest are genetically identical and are believed to have a single, combined root system. In essence, this forest is a single tree with 40,000 trunks, each of which appears to be a separate tree from an aboveground perspective

Being firmly rooted is a spiritual necessity. In light of yesterday’s devotional, how can we put down roots that are not deceived by wealth or stressed out by worry over temporal needs? How can we cultivate roots that will help the Word grow and bear fruit in our lives? We want to be “rooted and built up” in Christ (Col. 2:6–7)!

Today’s reading pictures such a person as a “tree planted by the water” (v. 8). The roots take in the life-giving water, and therefore the tree remains green and fruitful even in extreme heat or drought conditions (cf. Ps. 1:3). This person is indeed “blessed,” meaning happy or content.

One key to rootedness is faith. The person who is like this green, well- rooted tree is “one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him” (v. 7). The sins of worry and anxiety fall short in precisely this area. Worry takes over when we do not truly believe that God can or will provide. That sort of person, one who turns away from God to trust in “mere flesh,” is “like a bush in the wastelands” (vv. 5–6).

Another key to rootedness is the heart. Unfortunately, our hearts are “deceitful” and “beyond cure” by any human means (v. 9). Only God, who made our hearts, can comprehend and heal them. Only He can plant us by streams of water and make us fruitful.

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John 15:1–17 is an excellent related passage to read and meditate on today. Just as the fruitful tree is positioned near the stream, so also must we as branches “abide” or “remain” in Jesus Christ the Vine. These words indicate a close relationship in which we’re dependent on Him. As He taught: “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

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Read MATTHEW 13:18–23

Symbolizing the importance of agriculture to Nebraska, a massive statue of a sower scattering seed is set atop the state capitol building in Lincoln. The bronze statue weighs 9.5 tons, stands 19.5 feet tall, and is placed on a 12.5-foot-high pedestal molded to look like corn and wheat. The “Sower” took sculptor Lee Lawrie 13 years to create; it was finally installed in 1930.

From Jesus’ familiar parable of the sower, we can learn another significant lesson about worry. Among the four types of soil in this story, our focus is on the third: “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants” (v. 7). Jesus provided the interpretation: “The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful” (v. 22). In a parallel passage, it “stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature” (Luke 8:14).

The “worries of this life” include food and clothing (see Nov. 1–3), employment, children’s education, and retirement. They’re normal and natural, but when they take over they’re nothing but “thorns.” The “deceitfulness of wealth” refers to the fact that money can make us feel in control, as a result of which we tend to put our trust in it (see Nov. 7–10). We are deceived if we think and act as if money can save us or is a worthy object of faith.

The consequences of worry are disastrous. It strangles trust in God. It makes us faithless and fruitless. We remain spiritually immature and fail to live out “the message about the kingdom” (v. 19), that is, the gospel. We become like salt that has lost its saltiness (see Matt. 5:13).

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Despite Scripture’s clarity about it, we Christians are often culturally influenced to take worry lightly. For example, we might whitewash the sin of worry in the name of planning. Isn’t anxiety about a plan just natural? We must remember that our plans should be dominated not by worry or pride but by faith in and submission to the Lord (James 4:13–16).

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Read EXODUS 4:1–17

The biblical narratives the past two days are inspirational and instructive, but we might wonder if they’re relevant for us. Esther is an inspiration, but our daily lives rarely include confrontations with empires. Saul is an instructive negative example, but we’re unlikely to be in a position to forfeit a kingdom.

We might relate better to Moses. His self-doubt in today’s passage feels normal or understandable, though it reveals a lack of faith. We empathize with his fear of public speaking (v. 10). We see that his faith grew and developed over a period of time, which is something we also can aspire to.

God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and called him to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Moses’ worries were understandable. Egypt was a world power. The Israelites had been their slaves for four centuries. What reason could possibly entice Pharaoh to let them go? Moses was a disgraced former member of the royal court (having been raised in the palace), and a murderer, now living incognito as a desert shepherd. Why would the Egyptians respect or listen to him? For that matter, why would the Israelites (v. 1)?

God graciously provided for Moses’ worries. Moses’ staff became a symbol of God’s power. He was given specific signs to perform, signs designed to show that Israel’s God was greater than the gods of Egypt (vv. 2–9). God also reminded Moses that He Himself had created speech, language, and the tongue, meaning that He would give him the needed words and speaking abilities (vv. 11–12, 15). He also gave him a helper, Aaron. Despite his reluctance and anxiety, Moses obeyed in faith. And as we know from Jesus’ parable of the two sons, obedience is what matters (see Matt. 21:28–32).

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The classic film The Ten Commandments (1956) can help the life of Moses and the story of the Exodus come alive in our imaginations. Why not take some time to watch or re-watch this movie with family or friends, then discuss it together? What biblical themes emerge as most powerful? How does the film handle the biblical text?

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Read ESTHER 4:6–16

A good biblical definition of courage is standing firm in the Lord. As Paul wrote: “I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you” (Phil. 1:27–28).

By this standard, Esther is a tremendous example of biblical courage. She stood firm in the Lord and was not frightened by those opposing her, even though they were among the most powerful men in the world. Though initially and understandably worried by the challenges facing her, she responded in faith and God gave her success.

Esther had definite reasons to feel anxious. Haman, a powerful court official, had plotted to commit genocide against her people, the Jews, a plan that had been enacted into imperial law (Esther 3). For Queen Esther to attempt to intervene on their behalf, as her uncle Mordecai had requested, meant putting her life on the line. Appearing before King Xerxes without a summons brought an automatic death penalty, unless he pardoned the offense (v. 11).

Mordecai declared that God had placed her in her royal position “for such a time as this” and exhorted her to join the Lord’s side (v. 14). Esther’s faith was firm but not reckless. When she said, “If I perish, I perish” (v. 16), she was not embracing stoicism or fatalism but expressing dependence upon God. We know this from her prayer and fasting and from her request for her people to join her in coming before the Lord in this way. We might compare her with Joseph, who accepted that God had sent him into slavery to save lives and deliver His people (Gen. 45:4–11). In the end, God answered their prayers, blessed Esther’s intercession before Xerxes with success, saved the Jews, and executed justice on Haman.

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Yesterday, we encouraged you to “be still” before the Lord. Today, we urge you to “take courage.” Perhaps God has shown you what to do, but the way seems difficult or risky. Follow Esther’s example. Don’t be anxious or fearful, but rather seek the Lord in prayer and fasting, then step out boldly in courage and faith.

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