Today’s Reading:
Read Esther 6-10
Congratulations! You were such a good king or queen last week; you get to be king or queen again today. Remembering what we read about Esther as queen, would your decisions be different today when you think about what you would do as a king or a queen? Esther’s choices seemed serious, didn’t they? Esther’s title and position as queen was important and one that she took very seriously.
Esther’s plan to save her people involved a banquet for the King and for Haman. At those banquets, Esther convinced the King to grant her whatever she wanted. At first, all Esther asked for was the opportunity for a second banquet. However, at the second banquet, Esther revealed her true identity and exposed Haman for the evil things he had done. Had Haman tricked the king into signing a decree that all the Israelites would be killed on a certain date. Esther had to reveal that she was a Jewish woman to get the King to help save her people.
In the end, God used Esther to save the Israelites. She was brave and worked together with Mordecai and the King to keep God’s people safe.
Application/Prayer:
Reread Esther. Count how many times you read the name, “God.” Are you surprised with what you discovered?
God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther at all. But that doesn’t mean He wasn’t present! When God seems absent, we can trust that God has not abandoned His promises. Even though we don’t see God’s name, we can see all that God did to help save His people. Thank God today that you can trust that He is always with you.
September Memory Verse:
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him,and he will make your paths straight.”
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
September memory verse coloring sheet