Listen

“In fact, if you don’t speak up at this very important time, relief and rescue will appear for the Jews from another place, but you and your family will die. But who knows? Maybe it was for a moment like this that you came to be part of the royal family.”

Esther sent back this word to Mordecai: “Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa and tell them to give up eating to help me be brave. They aren’t to eat or drink anything for three whole days, and I myself will do the same, along with my female servants. Then, even though it’s against the law, I will go to the king; and if I am to die, then die I will.” So Mordecai left where he was and did exactly what Esther had ordered him.

Esther 4:14-17

Think

I can be the world’s worst procrastinator at times. If I have a paper to write or a test to study for, suddenly I feel this urge to rearrange things in my room or clean out my closet. I need to go through everything in the kitchen to see what snacks I might find. I must scroll through my social media feed. You may have some procrastination habits of your own.

In our passage from Esther, Mordecai is calling Esther to act. It’s a dramatic story. Esther asks for three days to fast and pray and invites everyone in the community to do this as well. At first glance, it can look like she’s procrastinating or putting off acting. Instead, she’s preparing. She is determined to act, to go to the king to save her people. But she doesn’t take her assignment lightly. She takes time to listen for God’s voice, to get ready mentally and emotionally, and to invite others to support her.

God calls all of us to work for justice and peace. May we prepare, not procrastinate, and act.

Laura Edgar

Question to Ponder:

How can you prepare to act for justice and peace in the world around you?

Pray

God, help me to work for justice and peace in the world around me. Prepare me for the opportunities I will encounter so I will be ready to act. Amen.

Go

Let’s go, vamos

Let’s run God’s race

With love and action

Come on, let’s go: ¡Vamos!

– ¡Vamos! by Colleen and David Burroughs