Why #Dirt Is Good For #Kids — And Could Lead To A Healthier #Adulthood - #health - https://www.inverse.com/health/dirt-kids-allergies-asthma-immune-health

Esther 4:15-17
Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish,

So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

It was in Esther's nature to heed the voice of Mordecai. He had adopted her when she had been orphaned as a child. She obviously trusted him because he cared for her. He had advised her not to reveal her nationality too soon, and by taking his advice, her life had taken a dramatic turn for the better. Esther told Mordecai to gather the Jews in Shushan for a three day fast. She did not mention prayer, but as Bible students, we know that when the people of God fasted, they prayed passionately for the God of Israel to move on their behalf. Esther and her maidservants fasted also, just before she went in to make her petition to the king. She had not been invited to see him, and at that time, she was taking her life in her hands, because a person could literally face beheading for approaching the king without permission. But Esther was willing to risk her life for the sake of her people. Had she not gone to the king, her people would have been destroyed.

Had Jesus not interceded for us and became our substitute on the cross, we would be destroyed! He had to bear our weight of sin on His body on the cross to pay the debt of sin that we owed but could not pay. Esther was a type of Christ in that she stood in the gap for her peoples' preservation. She, like Jesus, was a child that the God of the Bible chose to use in adulthood to bless His people. She, like Jesus, loved her people and was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect them from destruction. The LORD Jesus paid the ultimate price for us! If you have not thanked Him lately, take a moment to express your gratitude to Him today for being your substitute.