Fasting and Praying - For Today? Esther 1-5

When Mordecai heard that Haman had a plot to kill him and all the other Jews in the land it wasn't long before he and the other Jews proclaimed a "fasting and prayer" meeting.   In 4:3 it is recorded that there was "wailing, weeping and fasting" over the plot to destroy all Jews.   Again in 4:16 Esther tells Mordecai to have the Jews fast for three days while she approaches the King.   The seriousness of this plot can't be over looked.   We have to remember that the Messiah was to come by way of the tribe of Judah.   If Haman, for his only personal glory and good, were to succeed, than the Messiah could not come via the tribe of Judah or as a descendant of David, thus breaking God's eternal covenant with David.   To find a way around the plot Mordecai and Esther fast and pray.   God grants them an audience to the King and the wisdom to overturn the plot.   God grants them this wisdom through their prayers that were fortified through fasting.   Fasting, in and of itself, does not produce a miracle.   Fasting does, however, give us a needed commitment to the seriousness of prayer and the steadfastness in our praying.   When we fast we deny ourselves something and when that hunger to eat comes calling it acts as a trigger for us to drop to our knees or bow our heads and hearts in prayer.   Fasting is for today as it is still a trigger to get our focus on God and to deny ourselves pleasures and putting Faith and God first.   The fasting doesn't produce anymore answers than praying while eating does.   But, fasting produces more prayers.   And, more prayers produce more answers.   So, we pray and fast so that we are focused on the aspect of faith and prayer for God.