“If you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will come to Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14 CSB
The verse above is probably the most well known from the book of Esther. Through a soap opera story line of events, Esther has been tasked with saving the Jewish people. Her Uncle Mordecai is the one imploring her to intervene for them. In order for Esther to save her people, she needs to go before the King, her husband. The problem is, he hasn’t sent for her in awhile. If he didn’t send for you, and you went before him, even if you’re his wife, he may just kill you. You can understand why Esther was hesitant to bug her husband. But then good ole Uncle Mordecai sends the verse above to her in a message. How can you argue with his logic? Esther can’t, but she does ask all of the Jews in the land to fast for her mission for three days. She and her female servants fast as well. After that, she will go to the king. When she does go to the king, God is with her and the king doesn’t kill her, instead he asks her what she wants. Her request was simple, would he come to dinner with Haman? Haman is the one who is trying to get rid of the Jewish people. Long story short, Esther saves her people, Haman gets what he deserves and life goes on for the Jewish nation. All because she invited them to dinner.
Esther was a wise woman. She knew how to handle a difficult situation. She started out by praying and fasting before she did anything else. I think, although Scripture doesn’t specifically say this, that is where she decided to start with dinner. I have heard it all my life, the best way to a guys heart is through his stomach. Obviously, Esther was aware of this old adage, or perhaps this is where it started, but either way, she used it to her advantage. She also knew not to lead with the problem. She realized she had to make sure her husband was in the right mood to hear what she had to say. Timing is everything when we’re communicating, we can learn from Esther’s wisdom. Wait until the timing is right. If you’re husband has just come in from a long day at work, wait until after dinner to tell him the bad news of the day. Give him time to catch his breath, have a good meal and relax. He won’t feel so bombarded and he’ll be more amicable to discuss whatever it is. And this doesn’t just apply to husbands and wives, the same is true for any relationship. Ask God to show you the right time and the right way to have a difficult conversation with the person, don’t rush in without His guidance.
Today is the perfect day to start praying and fasting for a difficult conversation you need to have with someone. Then, do as Esther did, invite them to dinner and enjoy a meal together. See where the Lord takes you.
