Have Recourse to the Lord | HealthWealthVictory
Are you facing seemingly insurmountable problems right now? Have recourse to the Lord, then you will see amazing things He can and will do for you.
12 Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD.
14 She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids, from morning until evening, and said: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you. Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
15 for I am taking my life in my hand.
16 As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
24 Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O LORD, my God. “And now, come to help me, an orphan.
25 Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
“Have Recourse to” Meaning
In the idioms by the Free Dictionary, Have recourse to (something) means:
- To have access to something, especially in times of trouble or difficulty.
I need to care for my ailing mother, but I don’t have recourse to a leave of absence.
Does he have recourse to his inheritance?
- to be able to use something for help; to be able to fall back on something.
You will always have recourse to the money your grandfather left you.
You will not have recourse to that money until you are over 21 years of age.
In times of trouble, when you have burdens so great they overwhelm you with fear and anxiety, it’s always great to have recourse to something.
Something we could be able to use for help, to be able to fall back on; to have access to, especially in times of trouble or difficulty.
Destiny moments in difficult times
Esther, newly chosen queen of Persia, is facing probably the greatest trouble and problem of her life:
An enemy in a high government position is plotting and has ordered massive destruction and death for all the Jews, her people.
Mordecai, Esther’s uncle who raised her and who inspired her to audition for the Queendom, asked her to go to the king and plead for the lives of her people.
But going to the king without being invited means death and Esther hasn’t been invited to the King’s chambers for over a month now.
I love what Mordecai told Esther:
“Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.
For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance].
And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?”
Esther 4:13-14 AMP
God always has a purpose for our lives and the things we go through, even when most difficult, and has a perfect time for us.
This is Esther’s destiny moment.
And who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this [and for this very purpose]?”
“Such a time as this is” is Kairos time: a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment, according to the dictionary.
Will Esther accept her destiny moment or will she be like Jonah who ran away from his destiny moment the first time God called him?
Have recourse to the Lord
Good thing for the Jews at that time, Esther chose to accept and said yes to God in her destiny moment.
Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, “Go, gather all the Jews that are present in Susa, and observe a fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.
I and my maids also will fast in the same way. Then I will go in to [see] the king [without being summoned], which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:15-16 AMP
Esther plans to intercede even with the immediate threat to her own life.
If I perish, I perish.
And that’s when we come to today’s first reading:
12 Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD.
Esther did not have recourse to something. She had recourse to someone.
And not anyone, she had recourse to the Lord.
In times of difficulties, like the financial difficulty I am in right now, I often wish I have loads of money in a savings account I can have recourse to in times like these.
But I have learned over the years, like Esther, I don’t need to have recourse to something.
I have recourse, and easy access to Someone, the Lord, Creator of the Universe, my Father who loves me and cares for me.
Even when I turn away from him again and again, choosing my own interest and pleasure.
He always gives second chances in life.
Cry out to the Lord
We can have recourse to the Lord any time we want and need. We can always cry out to the Lord for help.
In fact, God wants us to always pray, cry out, and have recourse to Him for anything we need and even want.
That’s what He says in the Gospel today:
Matthew 7:7-12
7 Jesus said to his disciples: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread,
10 or a snake when he asked for a fish?
11 If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.
Ask, Seek, and Knock
“Ask and you shall receive” has always been my favorite verse to claim when I want something from someone.
This gives me the boldness I need to ask for that something I want.
I figure they can always say no. But who knows if they will grant my request?
I’ll never know until I ask.
So I ask.
From God or from anyone I want something from.
Sometimes I get what I want, sometimes I don’t. But always, I know it’s for the best.
How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him?
I marvel at how Esther asked God for what she wanted very specifically.
24 Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy, so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Spoiler alert for those who want to read the rest of the story of Esther for themselves:
God granted Esther exactly what she had asked.
Now your turn
What trials and difficulties are you facing right now?
Do you have recourse to something or someone or do you have recourse to the Lord?
Yes, it’s always good to have someone or something we can have recourse to.
But it’s the best thing to have recourse to the Lord.
So pray, having recourse to the Lord, our very present help in times of trouble.
- In times of difficulties in your life, have recourse to the Lord always
- Ask, seek, and knock
- God always gives good thing to those who ask Him
Dear Lord,
Help me to always have recourse to You in times of difficulty and need. You always give good things to those who ask You. So I ask for Your perfect will to be done in my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
This is it for now. Till next time.
To our health, wealth, and victory – GODSPEED!
