The Courage Prayer

From Esther 7:

1 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, 2 and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.”

5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

6 Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Bill shared these words with us on Sunday to pray together as a response to the wily courage Esther demonstrated, confronting Haman before the king. Perhaps you’d like to pray them today as well…

God, we hear your invitation in scripture:

Be brave. Be strong.

God, thank you for showing what strength really is by clarifying:

Do everything in love.   

Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. 

It has to do with what we decide in that moment 

when we are called upon to be more.

So build our bravery muscles today 

by helping us recognize and respond 

to your small invitations to be more.

And rescue us from the forces of empire

that torment us from without and tempt us from within.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.