Esther 5:7 – 8 “My petition and my request is this: If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”
Okay, Esther. What are you waiting for? Enough is enough. The king has said he’d give you whatever you ask for. So what is up with this little game you are playing? Just spill the beans, already!
We don’t know exactly what Esther was thinking, by dragging her request out like she did. But we do know that God was in charge. She may have been frightened, and just needed a little more time to work up her nerve. Or she may have known exactly what she was doing – building up her husband’s curiosity.
Whatever her reasons, she was very humble in her request. Notice her wording: If the king regards me with favor and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request . . . Esther certainly knew how to stroke her husband’s ego! Nothing in her wording made him feel she was trying to get the upper hand. Instead, she made him feel important, like he was the one in control of the decision.
Her request was simply for him to come to one more banquet. Surely he wouldn’t turn that down. But by agreeing to come back the next day, he was essentially agreeing to give her whatever she asked for. He knew she had something big in mind, or she wouldn’t have risked her life by coming to him uninvited. But he had no idea how big her request was going to be.
I have to confess to you, I’m not that great at taking my time about things – especially important things. When I see something that needs to be accomplished, I tend to charge ahead of God. The results are usually similar to a bull in a china shop, too. I admire Esther’s patience in waiting for the perfect time to reveal her request. God’s timing is always perfect. Ours isn’t.
When we have a desperate circumstance, sometimes we do need to act immediately. But sometimes, though we feel God telling us to wait, we want to charge ahead anyway. We need to learn to be sensitive to His leading, and allow Him time to do what He needs to do. Whether it be time to soften a prideful old king’s heart, or time to work out the details of a relationship or circumstance, we must be patient – ready to act when He gives the go-ahead, but not a moment before.
Dear Father, Sometimes I let my agenda take precedence over Yours. Please help me to be more sensitive to Your leading, and to be obedient and patient.
Amen
I am changing my name to Esther. Perhaps if I do, I will gain some of her patience!
Dear Esther, Please let us know of the outcome. If it works, I may join you in Estherhood . . .