When It Feels Like Nothing Can Change - Esther 8
Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv
Introduction
In March 2020, Greg Mundis, the Executive Director of Assemblies of God World Missions, was diagnosed with COVID-19. His condition quickly worsened, leading to hospitalization, intubation, and a medically induced coma. Doctors gave his family little to no hope—his lungs were failing, his body was shutting down, and they didn’t expect him to survive.
But even as the medical reports declared defeat, prayer warriors around the world rose up in faith. People from churches across the globe interceded for Greg, believing for a miracle when doctors saw no way forward.
After weeks in a coma, something unexplainable happened. Greg woke up. His body, once ravaged by disease, began to heal. Slowly but surely, he regained strength, defying every expectation.
Today, Greg Mundis is alive and well—not because of human solutions, but because of God’s power to change what seemed unchangeable.
Many of us face situations where it feels like nothing can change. It might not be a medical diagnosis, but it could be:
- A failing marriage.
- An addiction that won’t let go.
- A financial crisis.
- A situation at work that seems impossible.
We look at the reality in front of us, and like the Jews in Esther’s time, we feel trapped.
That’s exactly where Esther and her people found themselves. A royal decree had sealed their fate—by the king’s own law, they were doomed. In Persian culture, what the king declared could never be reversed. It was final.
But God was not done writing their story.
Jeremiah 32:27 (ESV): “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
Nothing is too hard for God.
Jesus reminds us:
Luke 18:27 (ESV): “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Situations that are humanly impossible to change are possible with God.
And when fear grips our hearts, He speaks through:
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV): “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
The Jews were facing certain destruction, but God stepped in. When it feels like nothing can change, we need to remember that God can change everything.
Even when everything seemed set in stone, God was not done writing their story.
The same is true for us. We might feel like nothing can change in our lives. But God specializes in turning impossible situations around. In Esther 8, we see that even when the world says, "it’s too late," God makes a way.
Let’s walk through this chapter and see how He worked then—and how He’s still working today.
God Moves Even When We Feel Powerless
Esther 8:1-2 (ESV): “On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.”
God began reversing the situation even before Esther and Mordecai asked for a solution. Haman, their enemy, was dead, but the decree against the Jews was still in place.
By giving Mordecai the ring that had been Haman’s, he was elevated to the top position in the empire under the King. Esther, in her position as Queen, gave Mordecai all of the enormous assets that Haman had under his control.
Even though Esther and Mordecai had been elevated, their people, the Jews, were still under threat of being destroyed. Yet, God was already working in ways they couldn’t yet see—positioning them for the next step.
Esther 8:3-4 (ESV): “Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king.”
Esther again approaches the king without being summoned and risks her life a second time. She falls at his feet, weeping and pleading with him to stop Haman’s plan to kill all the Jews in the Persian empire.
The king extends the golden scepter a second time, giving Esther the opportunity to present her case. She wasn’t just concerned with her own welfare but with the lives of God’s people across the entire empire.
She stepped out in holy boldness, trusting that the king would listen. Her willingness to keep fighting for others is an example of persistent faith.
We see God moving even when it must have felt to Esther that nothing could change.
Application: Trusting God When We Feel Powerless
We all face situations where we feel powerless:
- A marriage in trouble.
- A child who has wandered from God.
- An addiction or habit that seems impossible to break.
- A calling we feel unqualified for.
Like Esther, we may feel like we’ve done all we can, yet the problem is still there. But she didn’t stop with the victory over Haman—she pressed forward in faith, pleading with the king for her people.
Her persistence reminds us that God often moves in stages. Just because one battle has been won doesn’t mean the war is over.
Here are some questions to reflect on:
- Are there prayers we’ve given up on because we haven’t seen results yet? We must keep praying, keep believing.
- Are there steps of faith we’ve hesitated to take because we feel powerless? God’s power is perfected in our weakness.
- Are we waiting for circumstances to change before we act? Step forward in faith like Esther did.
Action Step:
Let’s choose one area in our life that we feel powerless to change and commit to praying persistently for it every day this week. Let’s share our request with a trusted friend, a small group, or with one of our prayer team members and ask them to pray with us.
God moves even when we feel powerless.
God Makes a Way Even When the Past Cannot Be Erased
Esther 8:5-6 (ESV): “And she said, ‘If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, … let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?’”
Esther asked the king to revoke the previous decree of destruction against the Jewish people. But under Persian law, once issued, a royal decree could not be undone. She was asking for something that seemed beyond possibility.
Esther 8:7-8 (ESV): “Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, ‘Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s ring cannot be revoked.’”
Instead of erasing the old decree, the king gave them authority to write a new decree that would counteract it. This is a powerful picture of how God works in our lives—He doesn’t erase our past, but He redeems it by giving us a new path forward.
Esther 8:9-10 (ESV): “The king’s scribes were summoned … And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the … officials of the provinces … and also to the Jews … And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses …”
The new decree was written in every language and spread across the empire with urgency. God was turning the situation around, not by removing the first decree but by giving His people the ability to overcome it.
Application: Moving Forward Despite the Past
There are things in life we cannot undo—mistakes we’ve made, sins we regret, words we wish we could take back, relationships that have been broken. Like the Jews in Persia, we may look at past failures and feel doomed to suffer the consequences forever.
But while Esther couldn’t erase the king’s first decree, God provided a new way forward through a second decree. He may not always remove the consequences of past decisions, but He always provides a path of redemption.
Ask yourself:
- Have we asked God to heal our hearts from past hurts, rather than letting bitterness take root?
- Are we clinging to past failures instead of embracing the new work God is trying to do?
Action Step:
This week, let’s write down one past mistake or regret that still weighs on us. Then, write a prayer surrendering it to God, asking Him to redeem it for His glory. Trust that He is writing a new decree over our lives.
God makes a way even when the past cannot be erased.
When God Moves, Fear Turns into Victory
Esther 8:11-12 (ESV): “The king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.”
With the new decree, the Jews were no longer victims—they had the right to fight back. What was once a decree of death was now an opportunity for victory.
This is a picture of what happens in the spiritual realm. Satan seeks to destroy us, but God gives us the authority to stand against him.
Victory was not automatic. The Jews still had to fight, but now they had confidence that they were backed by the king’s authority.
Esther 8:13-14 (ESV): “A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. So the couriers… rode out hurriedly, urged by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.”
The decree was spread everywhere. The message was urgent, and the couriers rode swiftly to get it out. This is a reminder that we, as believers, must urgently spread the Gospel, because people are still living under the decree of sin and death.
Application: Living in Victory Over Fear
Fear has a paralyzing effect. Like the Jews in Persia, we may feel like defeat is inevitable. But after Mordecai’s decree went out, the Jews went from being afraid to being respected and victorious.
What changed? Their circumstances hadn’t changed yet—their enemies were still out there. But they had been given the king’s authority to fight back.
What fear is keeping us from living in victory?
- Fear of failure—Afraid to try something new?
- Fear of rejection—Afraid of what others might think?
- Fear that God won’t come through—Afraid to trust Him fully?
Action Step:
This week, let’s identify one fear that’s been holding us back. Then, take one step of faith in that area—whether it’s having a difficult conversation, stepping into a new opportunity, or trusting God in uncertainty.
And every morning, let’s thank God in advance for the victories we are believing for, even if we don’t see them yet.
When God moves, fear turns into victory.
Conclusion: God Is Never Out of Options
When Greg Mundis was lying in a coma with severe COVID-19 complications, doctors had no hope. But behind the scenes, God was still moving through the prayers of His people. Now, Greg is alive, healthy, and serving God.
What seemed final was not the end. The doctor’s words weren’t the final authority—God was.
We see the same truth in Esther 8. The Jews were doomed, and there was no way to change the decree. But God stepped in. He didn’t erase the past decree, but He made a new way forward.
What looked like a dead end became a doorway to victory.
Now, let’s ask ourselves:
- Are we facing something that feels impossible?
- A broken relationship? A financial burden? A health issue? An unanswered prayer?
Here’s what God wants us to remember:
He is never out of options.
The same God who delivered the Jews is the same God who:
- Heals our bodies.
- Restores our marriages.
- Provides for our needs.
- Breaks every chain that holds us captive.
So today, we have a choice. Will we accept our situation as it is, or will we believe that God can still move?
Because the truth is:
When it feels like nothing can change, God can change everything.
