According to the laws of nature, the era of the Purim story ought to have been a particularly safe one for the Jewish people. After all, they enjoyed great prominence with Mordechai serving as a ranking government official and Esther married to the king.
But the opposite held true. Precisely in this moment of natural immunity, the Jewish people confronted an unparalleled threat as they stared down a decree, ratified by a king who ruled the world, to eradicate every last Jew in his empire in a single day.
And the strategy the Jewish people pursued to achieve salvation seems exceptionally foolhardy.
Instead of just launching a lobbying campaign, they took it upon themselves to fast and pray for 3 days first. Esther, too, prayed and fasted for 3 days, even though she surely understood that her beauty was a vital part of her appeal to her husband, and fasting did little to help her countenance.
And yet, it worked—the Jewish people were delivered from the dastardly plot. But how?
The Jew does not adhere to any natural order, but rather (and only) to a spiritual one.
Yes, the Jews enjoyed diplomatic immunity, but when they reveled in the wicked Ahasuerus’ feast, they found themselves exposed spiritually. And conversely, while fasting didn’t endear Esther to King Ahasuerus, it did endear her to the King of Kings, who, at the end of the day—as well as at the start and the middle of each day—is the only King that matters.
The same rule that holds true for the Jewish nation as a whole, holds true for every Jewish individual. A Jew puts his complete faith in G-d, as G-dliness is the source of all.
-adapted from www.chabad.org