Trust His Timing

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, ‘Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?’ Esther said, ‘An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!’ Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen.The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.”—Esther 7:5–7 (NIV)

As we read this next installment in this amazing account of Esther, there’s an undeniable sense of relief as if a weight has finally been lifted off of us after a prolonged period of time. Here’s why. If you’ve been following along as we’ve been progressing through Esther, you know she’s been holding in a secret: The king’s right-hand man, Haman, is the same man who is trying to annihilate her entire race of people, the Jews.

This is a huge secret not only because it’s attached to the fate of an entire race of people, but because that particular race of people is attached to God’s ultimate plan and work in the world! So, if you’ve ever had to hold onto a big secret for any length of time, you can just imagine what it must have been like for Esther to patiently wait for the exact moment in time when this secret was to be revealed.

And that’s exactly what we see happening here. It’s when Esther is hosting a private banquet for her husband, King Xerxes, and Haman that she breaks her silence on the diabolical plan to extinguish the lights of every Jewish life, including her own. Can you imagine the atmosphere in that room at this point? To pull back the veil of secrecy and reveal that the vile villain was seated right there at the same table!

And as events unfold, we’re going to see that Esther’s timing in all this was nothing short of perfect. Timing is everything—or, at least, it accounts for quite a lot in life. If something is rushed along prematurely, it loses its effectiveness and force. Something can even lose God’s favor if the timing isn’t right, such as a relationship that moves hastily ahead of His will.

This is why it’s so very important to understand and align our lives with the Lord’s timing. When it’s time to wait, we need to practice patience and wait for His appointed moment. Or, maybe it’s the opposite and God is wanting to move forward but we’re dragging our heels out of fear. In such times, we need to trust He wouldn’t want to move us forward unless it was what’s best for us. In either extreme, and in cases in between, we need to put a premium on God’s perfect timing for our lives.

How do we actually do that? As with most matters in the spiritual life, it all comes down to the word, “trust.” As our trust in the Lord goes, so goes our attitude towards His timing, as well as our willingness to submit to it. When our faith in Him is strong and standing firm on the truth of who He is and all He’s done for us, it’s easy to adjust our sense of timing to His. But when we lose touch with those truths, we get anxious and insecure. We rush ahead and lag behind because we think we can do better than Him if we’re in control.

Don’t make that mistake. Fill your head and your heart with God’s Word, which His Spirit will use to lead you into a deeper trust in His timing. And as your trust grows, so will your obedience as you choose to live according to His perfect timeline for your life!

Pause: What spiritual trait does Esther exhibit in her holding in her secret about Haman?

Practice: When have you seen a dramatic difference between your sense of timing and God’s sense of timing in your life? Write down in a journal or make a note on your phone exploring what you learned through this experience about God and His purposes and plans.

Pray: Father, I confess I’m prone to rush ahead and lag behind Your will for my life. I think I know better and I try to seize the reins of control in an effort to do life my way. Forgive me for trusting in myself above You in those moments, and please train me to let go and trust You and Your timing in all things, especially those things that concern me. Amen.