In this episode of Pray the Word on Esther 6:7, David Platt reminds us that God is the King over everything and everyone.
“And Haman said to the king, ‘for the man whom the king delights to honor.'”
– Esther 6:7
So Haman says this to the king, thinking that the king is going to honor him. Without getting into the rest of the story right now, that’s not actually what ends up happening, but the whole picture here, when I read this verse, that I want to lead us to pray according to, is the reality, the biblical truth that the king’s heart is ultimately in the hands of God.
We see that truth clearly in Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord and he moves it wherever he wills.” And so, as we see in Esther chapter six, Haman, talking about what the king’s heart is going to decide to do, it’s a good reminder to all of us that ultimately the hearts of kings are in the hands of God.
Esther 6:7 Reminds Us that God is King
There is no king in this world, no ruler in this world, no president in this world that is all ultimately sovereign over anything. Ultimately our king, the God we’re about to pray to, is sovereign over everything. Now, there’s obviously a mystery to how all of this plays out as kings do all sorts of things sinful, pagan, evil kings, not just today, but in the Old Testament, doing all sorts of things.
Jesus Christ is Lord
But the constant reminder and encouragement we have in God’s Word are that ultimately God is king and sovereign over it all. And so we pray. Oh God, you are the King, capital K King, to whom all kings will one day bow, all presidents will one day bow, all queens, all rulers, all dictators, all generals and commanders and people with all kinds of positions. Every knee will bow. In heaven, on earth, and under the earth, every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord, is king over all.
Esther 6:7 Calls the Nations to Worship
And so we take our rightful place today at your feet. We bow before you, our hearts, our lives. We say you are the king and we are so glad you’re the king. You’re the king of our hearts, the king of our lives, the king of our families, the king of your church, the king of the nations. Oh God, bring all the nations to worship you as king.
Praying for the People of Malaysia
We pray today for the people of Malaysia, Malays, all sorts of ethnicities represented in Malaysia, millions of them who have little to no access to the gospel right now, to the good news that Jesus the king has come. God, we pray for the spread of the gospel to them. We pray that they would know you as the good king that you are, that you’d use our lives to spread the good news of your kingdom.
Esther 6:7 Leads Us to Pray for Malaysians
God, we pray for that in Malaysia. We pray for that in the neighborhoods where we live. God, we pray that you would use us today to point people to you as king, to lead others to you as king, as we trust in you as the king over all. And we praise you, even when we look at this phrase in Esther 6:7, “For the man whom the king delights to honor.”
Oh God, thank you for choosing by your grace to honor us, to make us heirs and citizens in your kingdom, sons, and daughters in your house. All glory be to your name, oh God, our king. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
