March 2, 2021

Esher 5:1-3 (NKJV) – 1 Now it happened on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the house. 2 So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that she found favor in his sight, and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!” 

Esther goes all in and risks her life to meet with the king. She is taking a big leap of faith that God would protect her and her people.

In our lives, we will have major milestones that the Lord is calling us to trust Him in and we will also have daily activities that are just as important. Whether we are at a major cross roads of our life or if we are deep in the mundane day to day actives, we seek the Lord and are not surprised or afraid when the Lord calls us out of our comfort zone. We don’t know what the outcome of our steps of faith are going to be, how long they are going to last, or what God is planning, but we trust Him and step out in faith anyways.

How is the Lord calling you to step out into faith?

Esther 5:4-8 (NKJV) – 4 So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 At the banquet of wine the king said to Esther, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!” 7 Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”

Here we are seeing the patience that Esther has within her plan.  True wisdom is having patience for God’s plan and timing to develop. God sees the entire universe and sees all of eternity while we are limited in what we can see. We might not see the good in God’s plan in our lifetime, but we trust that in eternity He will make all right. We often want immediate gratification or results but need to have patience in God’s plan regardless of how long it is taking. God’s plan is always better than what we could imagine.

What things can you take from Esther’s pause for patience and the way she went about executing her plan?

How can this assist you in taking the steps of faith the Lord is calling you to and in having patience and trust in His long term plans?

Esther 5:11-14 (NKJV) – 11 Then Haman told them of his great riches, the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king. 12 Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. 13 Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.” And the thing pleased Haman; so he had the gallows made.

The joy that Haman received from Esther’s feast was quickly lost when he saw Mordecai. All of his success did not matter to him if he had to go home and see Mordecai everyday. To help bring his joy back, Haman’s wife and friends suggested that he kill Mordecai.

The way of the world looks for retribution at every single slight or problem. When we let other’s actions take the joy of the Lord from us, we slip toward the solutions that the world has to offer. We begin to want people to pay and get what’s coming to them rather than wanting them to experience the grace of God.

When you run into a problem, do you find yourself leaning more towards Mordecai’s response of vengeance, Esther’s response of trusting in God and having patience in His plan, or a mix of the two?