There will be hard things in life that we do not want to do; but we know it must be done and God is calling us to do it.  I have learned from doing the hard things that arise in work, family, and in ministry service to God’s church; that deep abiding prayer, seeking God’s will, must come first before the doing.  Others think this is procrastination as I tell them, “Let me pray and think about this.”  Some are impatient and want, (sometimes demand) quick answers and solutions to problems.  But when it concerns how the solution will affect others’ lives; we must slow our roll and seek God’s wisdom.

I have also learned through years of serving God’s church as a called servant of Jesus as a vocation; that I worried too much about how the hard things will be accomplished. I got too anxious about how people will react. And I found myself fussing over the strategic details before doing the hard things.  ALL the worry, fretting and fussing was harder that doing the hard thing! 

But, when given time alone to stop, seek, and listen with focus not on the problem but on Almighty, All-Knowing God who has answer; peace washed over me.  The fog of possible solutions and the flood of other voices ceased to hear only One Voice with One solution.  The wisdom was there all the time, ready to be made known as the only solution—God’s answer with His Plan to accomplish it. I just needed to ask with stillness before Him to listen with understanding.

Courage comes as we step forward, for such a time as this, to do what God says, when He says to do it, even if it looks or sounds strange and different to those around us. Truth rises to the top of the all the boastful lies that created the problems while deceit is exposed.  Soon the whole assembly of friends, family, and even bystanders come together with a collective sigh of relief.  “Ahh, now we get it.”

This is how God worked in the life of Esther. This is how God works in my life.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes! God reigns. God is in control. God wins. Trust Him.

Esther 5

Esther’s Request to the King

On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. ² When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

³ Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be given you.”

⁴ “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

⁵ “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. ⁶ As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.”

⁷ Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: ⁸ 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.”

Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

⁹ Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

Calling together his friends and Zeresh, his wife, ¹¹ Haman boasted to them about his vast wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. ¹² “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. ¹³ But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴ His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Spoiler alert:  The pole meant for Mordecai will be used to barbeque the boastful Haman the Horrible! 

Max Lucado writes;

“Esther gained an audience with King Xerxes but delayed her request. Meanwhile, Haman unwittingly orchestrated his own death.

Esther’s discretion and courage contrasted with Haman’s reckless conceit.

Real courage embraces the twin realities of current difficulty and ultimate triumph. Yes, life stinks. But it won’t forever. As one of my friends likes to say, “Everything will work out in the end. If it’s not working out, it’s not the end.”

Though the church is winnowed down like Gideon’s army, though God’s earth is buffeted by climate changes and bloodied by misfortune, though creation itself seems stranded on the Arctic seas, don’t overreact. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7).

Avoid Pollyanna optimism. We gain nothing by glossing over the brutality of human existence. This is a toxic world. But neither do we join the Chicken Little chorus of gloom and doom. “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” Somewhere between Pollyanna and Chicken Little, between blind denial and blatant panic, stands the level-headed, clear-thinking, still-believing follower of Christ. Wide-eyed, yet unafraid. Unterrified by the terrifying. The calmest kid on the block, not for lack of bullies, but for faith in his older Brother. The ancient people of God knew this peace: “Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident” (Psalm 27:3).

Sometimes it takes nothing but raw courage to do the right thing—to stand up for the truth, to care about the downtrodden, to speak out when others are silent. Let Esther be an example to you that when you have God and courage, you need nothing more.”   

–Max Lucado, Encouraging Word Bible

God’s courage is given to us to encourage us as we do the hard things He asks us to do for our good and His glory!  Can I get an Amen?!

One last thought—

What Esther did ranks among the great deeds of faith in Scripture and could have been recorded in Hebrews 11 in the “Hall of Faith”. The Jews needed to pray and have faith that God would work, but somebody had to act, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20). 

Esther is still revered as one who believed, fasted and prayed, and listened to God.  God’s courage enveloped her as she stepped forward when the king summoned her. (Read that again. Let is sink into your souls.)

Lord,

When you call me to do the next hard thing, lead me with courage as I put all my trust and faith in you. I know you will.  You’ve done it before and you’ll do it again until I see you face to face.  To you be the glory! 

In Jesus Name, Amen