FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS
Esther said, “I and my young women will also fast as you
do. Afterward, though it is against the law, I will go to the king…and
if I perish, I perish” (Esther 4:16)
There
are moments in history when a door for massive change opens. Great
revolutions, either good or evil, spring up in the vacuum created by
these openings. In such divine moments, key men, women and entire
generations risk everything to become the hinge of history—the “pivot
point” that determines which way the door will swing.
The Esther Hour
Esther
is a prototype of history’s hinge—a courageous woman who humbly and
artfully spoke truth to power. Facing witchcraft and dark conspiracies
in Persia’s power base, Queen Esther risked her life, armed with nothing
but a dying love for her people, a providential position of authority,
her own dignity, and the secret arsenal of corporate prayer and fasting.
Through her a nation was spared annihilation.
Three
years ago in a leaders summit in Fredericksburg Virginia our meeting
was sovereignly hijacked as the Lord shifted our focus toward the hidden
taproot of strength in the godly women of America. We began to envision
something of a million women gathering on the mall in Washington DC,
similar to the Promise Keepers gathering, that would be a last-stand
breakthrough to hold back darkness in America. Those hours of corporate
intercession were as strong and clear as any prophetic moment I have
ever encountered in thirty plus years of prayer, but at the time we
could not see how it could be brought to pass. Habakkuk's statement
seemed to be the counsel of the Lord to us, "Though the vision tarry,
wait for it, it will surely come."
The Truly Empowered Woman
That
moment arrived January 21, 2017, the day after the inauguration of
President Donald J. Trump, as we watched hundreds of thousands of women
take to the streets with the purported aim of “empowering women.” A
vacuum had been created by this election, by historic women’s
injustices, and yes, even by President Trump’s past hurtful statements
towards women and minorities, and it seemed that a false heiress rushed
in and was seeking now to become the hinge of history by framing the
narrative of a future America that does not acknowledge God’s exalted
view of women and His biblical design for her glorious purpose in the
earth. Instinctively we had a corporate knowing: it was the time for the true empowered woman to stand up, for the meek (strength-filled humility) shall inherit the earth.
Hundreds
of thousands of women watched the March, heard the vitriol, and could
not identify with the radical ideologies being expressed that would not
acknowledge God’s word and ways in the public controversy. This new
woman declared deep inside her heart "this is not my revolution!” Now,
like Esther, she is arising “for such a time as this”. It’s time for
this corporate Esther to frame the future by recognizing and taking up
her God-given role of persistent public persuasion in the open square as
well as that of her humble appeal to God in prayer.
Fasting Through Purim
The Women’s March was the first shot across the bow, heralding a revolutionary rise against the
President of the United States, “We the People”, and in reality, the
foundational biblical truths upon which our nation was founded. Soon
after, the second shot was manifested publicly: an unprecedented global
summons of witchcraft to curse President Trump, his cabinet and all of
those aligned with a biblical worldview. Suddenly, the whole controversy
was elevated to a global spiritual dimension, inaugurating a spiritual
battle that cannot be won on the playing field of protests and political
arguments. Only the Church has the answer to this unprecedented
manifestation of witchcraft. Spiritual strategy must be used to overcome
this open-faced, brazen challenge of the powers.
According
to Derek Prince, Haman (the adversary in the Book of Esther), was
practicing divination through the casting of lots, and was clearly
aligning himself with demonic spiritual powers to destroy the whole
Jewish population in the earth. Esther’s 3-day no-food-no-water fast
broke the spiritual power channeled by Haman’s witchcraft. It
effectively reversed the curse and shifted the whole public policy of
the Persian Empire towards the Jewish people. I cannot stress this
enough: we are in a similar day and a cataclysmic battle for the soul of our nation. We cannot live the same way we lived yesterday.
Recently,
two women contacted me and asked me to use my influence to call for a
three day Esther Fast to answer this challenge. Immediately after, I
experienced a life-changing dream where I saw a nation-wide Esther
movement arising that alone could break a major spiritual power of
death. I knew then that I was to take my place as a Mordecai and call
not only “Esther and her handmaidens” but the whole nation, to fast and
pray for three days leading up to Purim. The Jewish holiday Purim
celebrates God’s deliverance of the Jews through Esther’s fasting,
sacrifice and courage. This year, Purim begins on Saturday evening, March 11th.
Therefore, we are seizing this sudden moment for a three day Esther Fast from sundown on Wednesday, March 8th through the evening of Saturday, March 11th to
counter this witchcraft, to stand against the rising anti-Semitism,
pray for the President, and contend for the uprising of an Esther
movement in America that will, among many things, reverse the decree of
‘73, Roe V. Wade, just as Haman’s decree was reversed.
Let
the women arise as Esther’s for such a time as this and take their
place in the courts of heaven and in the public courts of man to shape
history in this hour. If your heart burns, mobilize this fast to all
your connections. Blow the trumpet in Zion! Call a fast!
Consumed by the call,
Lou Engle
Love in Jesus Christ,
Michele Denman
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