The King Who Comes Near | Esther 9–10 & Luke 19 | Daily Radio Bible

TODAY’S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 5th, and our readings are Esther 3–8 and Luke 18.

Today the story of Esther moves into dangerous territory.

Haman’s anger toward Mordecai becomes something much larger. His resentment turns into a plan to destroy an entire people. Esther suddenly discovers that her position in the palace is not merely a place of comfort or privilege. It has placed her at the center of a moment that will require courage.

Mordecai sends her those famous words: perhaps she has come to this royal position for such a time as this.

Esther does not know what will happen. She cannot control the king. She cannot guarantee her own safety. She can only decide whether she will step forward.

And she does.

Then Luke 18 gives us people who come to God with empty hands: a persistent widow, a tax collector crying out for mercy, little children being brought to Jesus, and a blind man calling from the roadside.

Again and again, Jesus directs our attention away from status, control, and self-sufficiency and toward trust.

Maybe faith often looks like Esther standing outside the king’s door.

We do not know how the story will unfold.

We simply know the next faithful step.

TODAY’S DEVOTION

There are moments in life when we realize that we are standing somewhere we never expected to be.

Esther certainly did.

She did not choose the political crisis unfolding around her. She did not create Haman’s hatred. She could not control the king or guarantee how he would respond.

But she could choose what she would do with the moment she had been given.

“For such a time as this.”

That phrase can sometimes sound grand, as if every moment of faithfulness must involve something heroic or dramatic. But most of the time, I think it is much quieter than that.

It might mean telling the truth when silence would be easier.

It might mean showing compassion when fear tells us to protect ourselves.

It might mean asking for help.

It might mean forgiving someone.

It might mean speaking when someone else has no voice.

It might simply mean taking one small step toward the life and love of Christ.

And Luke 18 reminds us how we take that step.

Not with clenched fists.

Not by proving ourselves.

Not because we have everything figured out.

We come like the tax collector who simply says, “God, be merciful to me.”

We come like a child.

We come like the blind man calling out from the roadside.

We come with empty hands.

Esther could not see the whole story from where she stood. Neither can we.

But God is present in the part of the story we cannot yet see.

You don't have to know how everything will turn out.

You don't have to control the outcome.

You can simply ask:

What does love require of me here?

And then take the next faithful step.

Maybe this moment, ordinary or difficult as it may seem, is your moment to receive courage, extend mercy, tell the truth, or simply trust.

Perhaps you are here for such a time as this.

And remember, whatever this day holds:

You are loved.

TODAY’S PRAYERS

Prayer of Surrender

Lord Jesus,
give me courage for the moment before me.
Free me from the need to control the outcome.
Help me recognize the next faithful step
and give me grace to take it.
Amen.

Prayer for Mercy

Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me.
Open my eyes to your presence.
Teach me to receive your kingdom
with the trust of a child.
Amen.

Prayer for Courage

Father,
where fear makes me silent, give me courage.
Where pride makes me self-sufficient, make me humble.
Where anxiety makes me grasp for control, teach me to trust.
May your love shape the way I live today.
Amen.

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Scripture readings from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

October 6th, 2026: Esther 9–10; Luke 19: The King Who Comes Near

Episode Description

Today’s reading brings the book of Esther to its conclusion. The danger facing the Jewish people is reversed, deliverance comes, and the festival of Purim is established as a lasting remembrance of rescue, courage, and providence.

In Luke 19, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, tells the parable of the ten servants, enters Jerusalem to shouts of praise, and weeps over the city. The King has come near, but not everyone recognizes the kind of kingdom he is bringing.

Jesus is not distant from the people others overlook. He sees Zacchaeus in the tree. He receives the praise of the crowd. He weeps over Jerusalem. And he continues moving toward the cross.

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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Esther 9–10; Luke 19

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TODAY’S EPISODE

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible. Today is October 6th, and our readings are Esther 9–10 and Luke 19.

The story of Esther closes with reversal.

The plot intended to destroy an entire people is overturned. Mordecai is honored. Esther’s courage has helped change the course of events. And the people establish Purim as a way of remembering what happened.

Remembering matters.

We are people who forget. We forget where grace has met us. We forget how frightened we once were. We forget the doors that opened, the people who showed up, the strength we discovered only when we needed it.

Then Luke 19 introduces us to Zacchaeus.

He is wealthy, powerful, and despised.

And Jesus sees him.

Not the reputation. Not the label. Not simply what everyone else thinks about him.

Jesus sees Zacchaeus.

And when Jesus comes near, something begins to change.

Zacchaeus opens his home. He opens his hands. He begins to imagine a different way of living.

Jesus says, “The Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

That is the heart of the King who enters Jerusalem.

A King who seeks.

A King who saves.

A King who comes near.

TODAY’S DEVOTION

Zacchaeus climbed a tree because he wanted to see Jesus.

But the surprise of the story is that Jesus was already looking for him.

I love that.

Zacchaeus probably imagined that he was the observer.

He would stay above the crowd, keep some distance, get a look at Jesus, and then go home.

But Jesus stops.

Looks up.

Calls him by name.

And says, in effect, “I’m coming to your house.”

Grace has a way of doing that.

We think we are searching for God, only to discover that God has already come looking for us.

And when Jesus comes near, Zacchaeus begins to change.

Jesus does not begin by shaming him.

He does not stand beneath the tree and recite everything Zacchaeus has done wrong.

He offers relationship.

Presence.

Welcome.

And something in Zacchaeus opens.

He starts talking about generosity. Restitution. Repair.

Maybe transformation often begins there.

Not with shame, but with being seen.

Not with condemnation, but with encounter.

Not with someone forcing us to become different, but with love making a different life imaginable.

Then Jesus rides into Jerusalem.

The crowds celebrate.

But Jesus weeps.

He knows how deeply people long for peace and how easily we misunderstand the path that leads to it.

His kingdom will not come through domination.

It will come through self-giving love.

It will come through a cross.

And resurrection.

Maybe that is the invitation for us today.

Allow yourself to be seen by Christ.

Allow yourself to be loved.

Allow that love to reach the places in your life that need repair.

You do not have to climb high enough to get God’s attention.

He has already stopped beneath your tree.

He already knows your name.

And he is coming near.

You are loved.