After three days of fasting Esther went to the king, and he held out the golden scepter and asked what her request might be (Esther 5:1-2). After carefully setting the scenario for two days (5:4-8), negotiating for one special dinner and then another, Esther pleaded for the life of her people (7:2-4).

The king was enraged at what Haman had done – though perhaps he was moved more by the potential financial loss than by the potential loss of a people. Soon it came to pass, with fine irony, that Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (7:9-10).

We could see the foreshadowing of Haman’s fate when he had built that gallows for Mordecai (5:13-14) and then had to honor him instead; indeed, although his wife and advisors had encouraged him to build the gallows, they ended up predicting that Haman’s good fortune was about to be reversed (6:10-13).

It feels like kind of a fairy tale ending, with the heroes living happily ever after and the villain hanged on his own gallows. Yet it aims to be more than a fairy tale: it’s a story of the unseen hand of God behind the scenes. And it’s especially a story about three days of prayer and fasting: so much more serious a dedication to aligning ourselves with God than we would generally consider.

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Teach us to seek your will and your mercy, O Lord, even when we are not sure where you are. Teach us to set ourselves before you with prayer and fasting, with deep heart-felt dedication, that we may see the effects of your strong and saving arm.