Where Are Modern-Day Daniels and Esthers?

A prayer for God to raise up servants who speak truth with the humility of Paul and the boldness of biblical heroes

Today we are praying from the scriptures from Ephesians 6:18-20, where Paul says, keep praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication to that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. And also for me, that words may be given to me in the opening of my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak.

Paul, as the apostle of Christ to the Gentiles, boldly spoke of the good news of Jesus Christ wherever he was, whether he was at a church or in front of the Greeks. Paul proclaimed Jesus before a governor and a king and appealed to Caesar. There he spoke boldly and with humility, making known to them the mystery of the gospel.

Think of others in the days of old

And then Peter, who was bold and learned humility. He was faithful to fish and obedient to walk on water.

Think of Noah who built the ark, Joseph who served Potiphar and Pharaoh, Moses who stood before Pharaoh, King David who took on Goliath (the defier of the armies of the living God), Daniel who served three kings faithfully and even faced the lions den. And remember Nehemiah who went before his king and appealed to him to go rebuild the wall of Jerusalem.

How about Queen Esther, who boldly stood before the king in order to save her people? Think of others like Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Elijah and Elisha, and all the prophets of old who spoke before those in authority with boldness, from the word of the Lord.

Think of those listed in Hebrews 11 — of whom the world is not worthy, it says; of John the Baptist, who stood in the river Jordan and boldly proclaimed, I am not the Christ, behold, the lamb of God. Pray for those types today in our churches, that there would be more and more who serve with such humility and boldness.

Ask that God would raise them up.

Where are they? Those in Christ who have such character, such love for the Lord, such love for one another; who serve in positions of ministry, or business or government, whom the Lord would use with such humility and boldness? Pray for men and women of Godly leadership across the land today. Pray for such who are faithful and true, not selfish and corrupt.

And so to that end, heavenly Father today, we do pray for them.

As Paul requested prayer in Ephesians chapter six, telling the church to keep praying at all times in the spirit, with all prayer and supplication to that end, to keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints. And he said also pray for me that words may be given me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak.

Father, we pray for those among us today. Raise them up! We pray that words may be given them in opening their mouth to boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel. That is truth and righteousness, which is godly justice. That is the commandments and the teachings of God for which they are ambassadors and representatives of your kingdom; and that they may declare it faithfully, boldly as they ought to speak.

Father, just as the others we've listed, who we read in the scriptures of old, like Joseph and David and Daniel and Esther and the others we've listed, Father, raise them up again. I pray in our day that they would stand boldly before those others in authority and stand firmly on the word and will and way of God — perhaps like Esther, in a position before the king, perhaps for such a time as this, as Mordecai said. And so Father, we pray for more and more and more across our land to serve faithfully, boldly, and humbly before those in authority across our land.

We ask for that as we pray for this day in Jesus name. Amen.

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