Please,put on some different clothes

I was reading in the book of Esther this morning and an interesting thought popped into my head. Thoughts run through frequently. Glad I caught this one!

When Ester realized that her uncle was in distress she did something interesting.

Her uncle Morticia was sitting by the gate in “sackcloth and ashes”.  Sounds terribly uncomfortable. She sent him some new clothes and he refused to wear them. After she couldn’t “fix” her Uncle she decided to find out what the problem was. Unfortunately the problem required a lot more from her than the “fixing” would have.

So, there’s  her Uncle, sitting in sackcloth and fasting. He’s intent on finding an answer to this life or death situation. He lets Esther know the problem and she realizes the severity. In case she thought she was “special” because of being the queen or that her position would save her, Morticia tells her plainly that she won’t escape, plus she was their only hope. His words to her were, “For such a time as this” resonate through my heart.

He gave her all of the horrific facts and  a chance to choose not only her destiny, but that of a nation.

If you notice, Esther does and doesn’t do something profound   She requests that her Uncle and the nation continue to wear their mourning clothes. Then she asks them to fast. She takes the problem seriously. She committed all that were with her to fast too. . But due to her Royal position she did not change into mourning clothes. After she fasted for 3 days she knew what she had to do. She had to risk her life. She could have come to the king in mourning attire. She could have had a down countenance, she could have used her body , her appearance, to notify the king of her distress, but instead she prepares herself for favor. She didn’t need the Kong’s pity. She didn’t need to bask in the situation . She needed to gather all of her strength and present herself in a way that would please the king.   She put on her best clothes and waited for the king to notice her. At that moment she risked her life. Even though she had nothing immediate to drive her to such a drastic option, I mean, she herself was in no immediate danger. She presented  herself as a proper queen and waited to be acknowledged. I can’t imagine the faith it took for her to stand in the face of death, in her best clothes, dressed like nothing was wrong while the fate of her nation stood in the balance between life and death. Hence the preparation through fasting.

It appeared that she lost her resolve when she merely invited the king to dinner... or did she? She gave the king options that were acceptable to him. She asked him to join her twice. The second time she revealed the situation while her enemy sat with her with and her husband at the  table.

She prepared, she stood in her authority through complete submission. She respected the King and honored him. She didn’t go to him as a servant or as a potential victim, she risked her life intentionally with the pride and honor of her office as Queen.

So, my question is this.  How do we go to God to present our problems?  Do we come to him mourning in despair and hopelessness?  The Bible says that we are to approach the “Throne of Grace, boldly.”

Could that mean that we come to him prepared and humble, respecting his authority? Do we bring our issues to him with the dignity he deserves?  Yes, he deserves dignity from us. Respect of who he is, the King of all Kings.

Prepare and present yourself as a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable to him. This is a new perspective. We don’t come as slaves, we come as royalty expecting favor.

So, when you go to God in prayer remember that he is God. Remember the price he paid so you could be his son/daughter. Come to him expecting him to listen and respect his decision. He is just and fair. He is kind and loving. Come to him dressed as royalty even in the darkest of situations. Stand like a queen before a king that loves. Your prayer life will never be the same. He loves.,,