2009 – Day 190.July 20 – Wait – And Listen

2009 – Day 190.July 20 – Wait – And Listen

Passage of the Day: Esther 4: 12 - 17 ... 12 So they told Mordecai Esther’s words. 13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: “Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king’s palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and fast for me; neither eat nor drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will fast likewise. And so I will go to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish!”
17 So Mordecai went his way and did according to all that Esther commanded him.

My Journal for Today: Okay, … here we are back again, focusing, along with Chuck Swindoll, on the three day waiting period as Esther fasts and prays, waiting on God to move in the hearts of Haman, her antagonist, and most certainly in the heart of her new husband, King Xerxes. Swindoll calls it a “white space,” … a period where any believer who is seeking God’s way has trouble seeing what God is doing or how He is moving. And it’s in moments like these that it’s easy to let our deceitful hearts (see Jer. 17: 9) run wild with fearful anticipation.

And now that the ball of decision was in Esther’s court, where she had to contemplate what she must do, we see her relying on the One in her life Whom Mordecai had taught her to rely upon; and that is God Almighty. And Swindoll points out that it’s likely that she went to the same word of God which Mordecai had taught here and the same word Mordecai was likely using to soothe his mind/heart during this “white out” of knowing what God was doing. And Swindoll refers us to a passage in Isaiah 41, verses 10 and 13, which Esther may have used to be quieted with confidence. And the former of these verses is in my memory arsenal when I’m dealing with fear or uncertainty. I hope you have it memorized as well.

10 Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. …
13 For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

It’s in moments like the one we’ve focused on in the life of Esther that our enemy Satan would love for us to relent to our natural human fearfulness. And remember, Satan is the roaring lion of 1st Peter 5: 8, who wants us to scatter from God’s flock and to run away from the Good Shepherd. So, it’s in these “white out” moments in time when, more than any other moments, we need to be looking for God and, in prayer, trying to discern His still small voice or seeking for His will, which may not be very easy to see or hear.

But God will be there in those “white out” moments; and all He may be wanting from you is to trust in the truth of His word, like the passage above. Or maybe the Lord just wants us to cling to the truth of His promises in Deut. 31: 8, … that He is there and He’s going on ahead to make the way for us.

Oh, how I pray this morning that we all can be lifted up by these truths from God’s word and the Lord’s promises of His strength when we are in weakened moments of waiting (see 2nd Cor. 12: 9).

My Prayer for Today: Lord, I know You’re there; and I know you’re paving the way for me. I wait on Your will and will follow Your way. Amen