Esther 4:1 "...tore his clothes...put on sackcloth and ashes..." Signs of severe mourning for a Jew. 3 "...in every province...many lay in sackcloth and ashes..." All understood the danger of what had been decreed. While it doesn't explicitly say they cried out to God, that would have accompanied the fasting, weeping, and wailing, as well …
Black & White with Shades of Gray 