Esther was a member of a hated minority race, living in exile in a foreign land, and raised by her older cousin, Mordecai. But Esther was also very beautiful. When King Xerxes suddenly "divorced" his wife and began looking for another, Esther became one of the young maidens apparently snatched off the streets by men searching for beautiful women for the king. They did not know that Esther was a Jew.

Once in the king's harem, Mordecai instructed Esther not to reveal her identity, and Esther was chosen to be the new wife of King Xerxes.

Esther could have bemoaned her fate—taken from her home and her cousin against her will, to become the wife of a man she did not know, who was the leader of a people who hated her people.

Nothing in the Bible tells us how Esther actually felt about this situation. What we do know is that when Mordecai came to Esther with the news that the Jews were to be killed by decree from Haman, Esther had to make a faith decision.

" 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, NIV).

Esther knew that the king had the power to put her to death for coming before him without being summoned. She may have seen it happen to other people. So Esther ordered a three-day fast before she made this endeavor. She then went into the king on behalf of her people, having put her life in God's hands. By making her request known to God through prayer and fasting, she knew that the outcome was up to God.

The same is true in our lives. The outcome is always up to God, and if we have a serious request and put it before God, prayer and fasting is the best way to take the time to talk to God about it. We will find that God will have the same mercy for us that He had for His people in the days of Esther.