Esther 4:4-7
So Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her, and the queen was deeply distressed. Then she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and take his sackcloth away from him, but he would not accept them. Then Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs whom he had appointed to attend her, and she gave him a command concerning Mordecai, to learn what and why this was. So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square that was in front of the king’s gate. And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king’s treasuries to destroy the Jews.
Sometimes there is a pull on our heart or, as my pastor says, an “unrest in our spirit.” I believe that Esther experienced this. She was told something disturbing and she was “deeply distressed.” Has this ever happened to you? We find out a piece of information…see or hear something…and then we know something isn’t right. We may or may not know exactly what is going on, or what all of the details are, but we know that something is wrong. I think this is what Esther experienced this day. She didn’t know why Mordecai was acting the way he was acting but she knew that it was serious and wanted to know more.
So what does she do about this unrest? She asks. She seeks clarification. She sends a message to him asking what the situation is. How does this apply to you and me? Mordecai symbolizes the Holy Spirit and, like Esther asked questions of Mordecai, we can ask a question of the Holy Spirit. We need not send someone to ask for us—we can go directly to our Helper ourselves.
John 14:16
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
Sometimes we don’t have to ask; sometimes the Holy Spirit speaks directly to us. “The Holy Spirit is that voice inside of us that convicts us of sin, while encouraging us to do better.”
Last week my pastor said something that stuck with me, he said that “the same Holy Spirit that was in the Bible is in us.” The same Holy Spirit at work in the heart of Esther is the same Holy Spirit at work in our hearts. The same Holy Spirit that began to pull on the heart of Esther that day isthe same Holy Spirit who pulls on our hearts to make a change in our lives.
This week I am determined to pray on the question that Darlene asks, “Is there anything in your life that you’ve recently been convicted of or encouraged to improve upon?” Like Esther I want to seek out what change needs to be made; I want to see how I need to improve the situation I’m in. Like Esther I am going to ask of my Helper what those changes need to be. I’m going to ask what needs to be done.
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Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the Helper that You have sent to us. Thank You for the pull on our spirit when things need to change. So often we feel that something is wrong, or that something can be better. Lord, give us the courage to seek the answers from the Holy Spirit, to seek the change that needs to be made. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
About Tonya Ellison
Excellent study this morning, Tonya! I’m so thankful that God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We can rest assured that the Holy Spirit is a part of our “story” too. The catch is that we have to allow Him to “say His lines.” Sometimes in our unrest we start looking for our own solutions or the solutions of others. We try to solve it ourselves, when all along the Holy Spirit is “waiting in the wings” to be called on to do His part. “Call on Me and I will answer you,…” (Jeremiah 33:3) I want to improve unto my call–calling upon the Holy Spirit first, not second or third… So I’m praying your prayer today also, Tonya.
Thank you.
Great blog today Tonya! He is our helper. When Jesus was going to heaven He left us the gift of the Holy Spirit and what a gift. I know that unrest all too well and it’s when I’ve gone against His urging and sometimes it’s a warning. Thank you for such wise words!
I like what you said Clella, we have to allow the Holy Spirit into our lives, we have to give him room to move, per say, that’s my problem, I don’t!! I do it all myself and mess things up! Starting prayer now, again it may be hard, I don’t like the way I pray, I can’t stand the way I pray, how I sound, I probably sound like a freak to Him so again it may be such a short prayer but I am gonna start asking and allowing well I pray I can allow Him to move!!
Pat, we humans tend to try to handle ‘everything’ ourselves. When did we get convinced that we are super-humans? That’s what God has asked me at times. :-} He gave us the Holy Spirit for a reason, a good reason! Let’s bring Him onto ‘the stage’ of our lives.
I consider prayer a conversation with God Who happens to be my Best Friend. I found out long ago that He doesn’t need fancy words or certain formulas. What He needs and wants is just an honest “down home” conversation with us. Short prayer or long prayer just talk to Him honestly like you would your Best Friend (because that’s exactly Who He wants to be.)
Great point Clella! He is here for us, always. But He is also going to wait until we let Him, He isn’t going to force His words on us. It’s natural for us to try to fix life on our own. I pray that it change, that it start being natural for us to run to Him in good and bad times before we turn to our own devices.
Thanks much!
tonya, i so appreciate the way you expressed the influence of the Holy Spirit, “Sometimes there is a pull on our heart…” (and love your pastor’s way of saying it, too!) we have not been left alone…how compassionate and loving of our Lord!!! i am praying for each of us that, by God’s grace, we will be so sensitive to the prompting, the leading, the conviction of the Holy Spirit AND that we will respond and obey. <3
I wanted to point this out because I think we look for a booming voice or an obvious sign when God is talking to us, but often it is that pull, or that unrest. I’m praying that prayer with you. 🙂
Good study Tonya, I know I’ve felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit before but never really did anything about it. Lately I think I’ve felt the nudging again in a few different areas that I need to work on. Maybe it’s time to work on us to change situations, I’ve read that before somewhere, I have felt that unrest so many times and now, after yesterday’s post and today’s, I got up early this morning and I am going to start prayer! I really want the Holy Spirit to work and move in me and do glorious things as they say. It’s time to take a stand, and as I know Esther prayed, went before God I want to do that too. I am behind a couple days in this study, going back and forth to Dr’s that I started yesterdays and today’s. I can now work backwards, Anyways thanks for today’s post!!
Thanks Tonya for reminding us that the Holy Spirit is ever present and unchanging. I never really thought about the Holy Spirit that guides me ( when I allow Him to ) is the same one that guide those in the Bible! Loved what Clella said about how we have to stop talking & listen in order to know where He is guiding us.
I absolutely LOVED this post today! I think I wrote almost every bit of it down in my journal. I’m constantly praying: “change my heart oh God.” And it seems like when I feel that unsettled heart, going to His word, even when I’m not quite sure why I feel uneasy, stills my spirit.
That is awesome to hear! That is a great daily prayer, sometimes I even need to say that hourly. :).