I remember a few years ago sitting with an Ethiopian Jewish woman whose father was rescued as part of Operation Moses. She told about how her father was surprised by the celebration of Purim. In his Jewish community in Ethiopia, they had the prayer and fasting for Esther which was the decree mentioned in the fourth chapter of Esther. However, the news of Esther’s success in persuading King Xerxes not to allow the Jews to be killed never reached Ethiopia. So, every year they would fast and pray for Esther. While in Israel, every year people celebrate the victory over Haman.

For those who have never read the story of Esther, it takes place about 2500 years ago in what is now Iran. King Xerxes ruled over the largest empire at the time. His queen upset him, so he got rid of her and brought in another who just so happened to be Jewish. The new queen’s uncle, Mordecai, acquired a position of influence, but his rival, Haman, persuaded the King that all the Jews needed to be killed because they weren’t loyal.  Haman sent a letter in the king’s name for all the Jews to be killed. Mordecai persuaded Esther to have an audience with the king, but it could cost her her life if she was not granted a pardon. As all the Jews fasted and prayed, Esther went before the king, received the pardon, and appealed to him to spare the Jews. In the end Haman is killed, Mordecai is honored, and the Jews are spared.

Rarely in life do things unfold in such a timely way as they do in the book of Esther. We often pray as the Jews in Ethiopia did for Esther – never knowing that the prayer was answered, or if we do see the answer, it came much later than we expected.

For 47 years, the Islamist Iranian regime of the Ayatollah Khamenei has called for “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. They killed and maimed thousands of Americans, but they had a special hatred for Israel. For nearly five decades, Iran funded proxies on all the borders of Israel and beyond. The axis of evil arrayed on many fronts: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Assad regime in Syria, Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, and American agitators on campuses across the US.

Also, for 47 years, Christians and Jews have been praying for an end to this dark regime. While the regime sought to end Israel outside its borders, inside the nation the Ayatollah persecuted the Christian church. Deliverance was inevitable. In one of my favorite verses in the book of Esther, Mordecai says to Esther, “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

Mordecai knows that God will, in the end, save the Jews. But Esther has a choice to be involved. It is the choice given to each of us.

Last week Tucker Carlson went to the White House to plead the case for Iran. There were also those, who we will likely never know, who made the case that the Reign of Terror must come to an end. Thank God Trump listened to the Esthers in his midst.

As I write this, the Ayatollah Khamenei is confirmed dead. The prayers of Christians and Jews for 47 years have been answered. It’s time to celebrate.