Patience

Who here is patient? Not me... In our instant society patience is not expected. We want everything now. From instant food to instant messaging. Waiting 60 seconds on the microwave, or for our computers to boot up or switch pages, we sit there tapping, saying "you're taking forever!!!!" In our Esther series we are learning that she was patient and waited for just the right time to make her request of the king. At the end of the first banquet, she did not make her request know to the king. She invited them back again for another banquet. Tomorrow, I'll let you know my request. Now, if you had your sworn enemy sitting at your table, and the king asked you what you wanted, would you be able to wait, have patience for the right timing. God had prepared her a table in the presence of her enemy. It would have been so easy for her to ask for Haman's head on a platter. Did she wait because she was suddenly afraid to ask, or did she wait because God told her too, or did she wait because she wasn't sure of what to ask for? It doesn't say why Esther chose to wait for one more day, but she did and it proved advantageous to her. Haman's ego had not reached it's full height at this point and the King still regarded him as a trustworthy man. God tells us to wait for different reasons. Sometimes, the timing isn't right for us. Sometimes, we are ready, for something to happen, but others may not be ready. Patience isn't easily obtained, especially in a "get it now" society, but maybe that's why it is a virtue. It is something we need to seek daily. And if you're a mother of small children or even teenagers, your patience gets tested daily. Do we pass? Some days I would say yes, but most days, probably not. So what's the answer...God, of course. In Isaiah he says he will renew our strength. We lean on Him and He will give us what we need in any situation.
Lessons learned so far from Esther: Make the most of your situation-Being taken from her family to be put in a beauty pagent for the honor of Queen. Do not be afraid- "And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?". Courage-" I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish." Patience - wait till the timing is right.