Life Of IntegritySample

"Esther's Waiting"

I don’t know if you have ever had to wait for something – not like waiting for your burger in the drive-through, but really wait for something that mattered. Maybe you have had to wait for a call back from that job you applied for. Perhaps, you have been waiting to get pregnant or maybe you’re waiting to find a partner in life. You might have had to wait on a diagnosis for yourself or someone close to you. I think that by a certain age, we can all relate to waiting on something weighty.

Esther spent a lot of her time waiting. She waited to be chosen by the king. Once she was chosen, she had to undergo 12 months of beauty treatments before she was fit to even meet the king. When her people were threatened, she had to speak to the king in order to save them. She fasted and prayed for three days before she risked appearing unannounced before him. Can you imagine those three days, with the weight of your nation on your shoulders?

For Esther, something happened in the waiting. Courage came in waiting. She knew that her entire nation was fasting and praying with her. She knew her God was with her. The fasting and prayer was not unlike her 12 months of beauty treatments. They prepared her for her role of saving her nation. She trusted God and she took action while she was waiting. We can often think that waiting is a pause in our lives. It’s not. Waiting is an action and it’s an important part of our lives. There is much to learn in the waiting. The character building and intimacy with God that you long for are likely in the waiting and not the activities of life.

How are you preparing yourself in your waiting? Are you spending time with God? How are you seeking out His will for your situation? Are you taking action in the waiting?