What would your response be if you learned death and disaster were headed straight for you?

That is where Mordecai found himself after Haaman persuaded the king to make a decree to kill all the Jews.

His first recorded response was mourning: sackcloth and ashes. Then he made a plan with Queen Esther to approach the king for help. Once she had agreed to brave the danger of entering into the king’s presence uncalled, he agreed to join in fasting and praying the three days beforehand.

The last time I read through Esther, though, what really struck me was Mordecai’s faith. In this book of the Bible where God is never directly mentioned, His hand is not absent. Mordecai acknowledged this when charging Esther to go before the king. He told her, “If you do not go, deliverance will come from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish.”

Even as he sat in sackcloth and ashes, he knew God’s promises to Israel and trusted He would never let them be completely destroyed. Even as he made a plan, he recognized deliverance did not depend on it. When he prayed, he prayed in faith.

The disciples in the storm make an interesting comparison. When their boat foundered, they too prayed, “Save us! We’re going to die!” Jesus rose from his sleep and stilled the whole sea, but then he turned to the disciples and rebuked them for not having faith.

Both asked. But Mordecai asked in faith.

What do we do when we hear of death and disaster heading our way? Hopefully we pray. The Lord God is the Deliverer. But even more, we need to have confidence in Him. We need the faith of Mordecai. God is still in control, and He will keep His word.