LifeSpring’s purpose for 2026 is Increase Our Faith. A good example of this is in Esther 4, when Queen Esther is asked to plead for the lives of her people.
Just before this chapter, an official order had been issued so that–on a certain day–enemies of the Jews could attack and destroy them, taking everything that they owned. Esther had kept her Jewish identity a secret so far, but when she learned about this plot from her cousin, Mordecai, she was urged to go into the king’s presence and speak on behalf of her people.
At that time, there was a law that anyone who went into the king’s presence without being summoned would be put to death, unless the king chose to pardon them. Thus, in response to Mordecai’s request, Esther told him that she couldn’t, that she risked losing her life. But five verses later, Esther asked Mordecai to gather all the Jews nearby to fast and pray for her, for she would go and speak to the king.
Esther went from, “But I could die.” To, “If I die, I die.” That’s increased faith! But what changed between this and Esther’s first response? Her situation was the same; the official order still hung over the Jews, and the law against entering the king’s court unannounced still remained. But, after her initial response, Mordecai said this:
… Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?
Esther 4:13-14
What Mordecai was trying to tell Esther was that she could choose to do nothing, but what if God had a greater purpose for her in her position? Nothing physically changed, but there was a shift from what man could do to what God could do.
As we fast and pray this month, God might ask us to do things that we might not want to do. We might not want to take action, maybe because it comes with a certain amount of risk, or it makes us uncomfortable, or it’s hard. But leaning in the direction God is guiding us, and knowing God has a bigger purpose than what we can see, can help us walk the path to increased faith.
In Esther’s position, once she understood what she had to do, she didn’t wait for a better time to act (i.e. when the king wanted to see her or when it was convenient). Esther listened, hesitated, but obeyed. In the same way, we don’t need to wait for a better time to step into what God has been asking us to do. God wants what you have, right now.
So, how can we shift our perspective from what is possible with man to what is possible with God? How can we realign our walk so that when God speaks, we can listen and obey well? What’s one thing God is asking of you today?