Kingdom Confirmations (Part 3): The Dilemma
Photo Courtesy of Johannes Plenio
The waiting room
“The most difficult place for you to be in life is in God’s waiting room. What is God’s waiting room? When you’re in a hurry for something to happen and God isn’t. That’s God’s waiting room.”
-Quote source | Above Inspiration, Trust God’s Timing
Inevitably, we arrive at various crossroads in life that involve solving a serious problem or making a major decision. The weightiness of these “dilemmas” often bring intimidation & frustration. And while we’d rather bypass these tough roads altogether, these are the avenues—
God uses to develop & deliver us.
The story of Queen Esther is a remarkable account of God’s ability to accomplish great things in the midst of great dilemmas. Ironically, there is no explicit mention of God intervening in this story, and yet, His fingerprints are all over it.
“He [Jesus] said, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit”
“When wind blows, we cannot see it, but we see where it has been. Tree leaves move, plants bend, and we feel the wind touch our faces. Yet no one can catch it or restrain it. When wind blows, it changes everything it touches. So it is with the Spirit.” (GotQuestions.org)
And so it is with Esther’s story. Through people, positioning, & circumstance, you see the work of God carried out in an undeniable way. Just as His work is clearly evident in her story, so too will it be in yours. We have to remember that “this waiting” is not about God punishing us—
It’s about god positioning Us.
It’s not a matter of what you’ve done wrong, it’s about what God is getting right. If Jesus Himself waited on God, how much more willing should we also be? Waiting on God is never a waste.
he is worthy of our waiting.
3 principles to Remember
1) God Will Make You “Aware”
Unknown to Queen Esther, an evil plan had been set in motion by Haman, one of the authorities within her palace. The plan was to eradicate the Jewish people living in the provinces of the kingdom.
Queen Esther, who was also of Jewish descent, happened to hear about a multitude of Jews fasting & mourning all throughout the provinces. This “convicted Esther with great fear” so she sent servants to her cousin Mordecai to figure out why the Jewish nation was distraught.
Mordecai responds with a detailed account of the evil plot, along with an urging for Esther “to plead to the king on behalf of the Jews”. For Esther to unlawfully approach the king without permission means that she would be putting her life on the line.
This marks the beginning of the Great Dilemma Esther now finds herself in.
If Esther failed to ask about the problem, she would have never had the opportunity to help God’s people. That’s why it’s imperative that we recognize what “it” is that God is bringing our attention to.
What is it specifically that God is putting on your heart? What do you find weighing on your mind? Like Esther, there will come a point in which your position (where you are in life) intersects with a problem. It may seem heavy. It may even seem impossible, but God has chosen to make you aware.
He’s chosen to entrust something to your care.
2) God Will Help You “Prepare”
As quickly as Esther recognized the problem, she was just as quick to offer an “excuse” for why she couldn’t solve the problem. She sent messengers to inform Mordecai that, by law, she would die if she were to approach the king without first being summoned. In response, Mordecai says:
“Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, liberation and rescue will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish [since you did not help when you had the chance].”
Esther has an immediate change of heart & asks that all the Jews (including herself & her maids) observe a 3-day fast & abstain from eating & drinking. She then states, “Then I will go in to [see] the king [without being summoned], which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”
Too often, we treat our positions in life as a “personal fan”. We want things to operate on a setting that ensures we are refreshed & taken care of, but God has called us to shift our hearts into “oscillate” mode. To give Him permission-
to move as freely as possible.
Our problems & decisions carry some degree of risk, which is why we’ll be tempted to protect ourselves. Like Esther, we will have a valid excuse to offer to ourselves, others, or even God. But by the Grace of God, may we see past our own self-serving arguments.
Esther understood what she needed to do. She may have not known every detail of the plan, but fundamentally, she knew there was no getting around the need to appeal to the king. But she didn’t rush the decision.
Instead, she wisely & practically sought the heart of God through fasting. Though many things were taking place outside her control, she focused on what she could control. Esther said “no” to her own desires (fasting) in order to position her heart to say “yes” to God.
The weight of your problem or decision should bring a healthy appreciation for the responsibility of “getting it right”. Understand the big picture & respond with small steps of obedience.
Minor steps prepare us for Major Success.
3) God Will Deliver You “There”
The evil Haman continued to boil with envy towards the Jews & Mordecai, so he had a gallows (50 cubits high) built in order to to publicly humiliate & hang Mordecai. This hanging was set to to take place after Haman enjoyed a banquet dinner with the king. At this dinner, Haman would ask the king to hang Mordecai.
The king, however, had trouble sleeping that night. So he ordered the book of “records & memorable deeds” be brought out & read to him. By God’s Providence, the king hears the account of how Mordecai single-handedly obstructed an assassination attempt that had previously been made on the king.
This leads the king to honor Mordecai and place him in a royal position of power within his kingdom. A move that nobody could have foreseen taking place. Later that evening, at the banquet dinner, the king asks Queen Esther to make her concern known to him.
At his request, Queen Esther reveals the full extent of the plan to have her & her people wiped out of existence. The king is bewildered by the plan & demands to know “who” is responsible for it. Esther tells him that Haman is behind the plan, which leads the king into a fury.
The king orders for Haman to be hanged on the very gallows he had built for Mordecai. And in addition, every conspiring person who intended to kill the Jews eventually find themselves taken out.
Queen Esther, Mordecai, and the Jewish people are spared from destruction & enjoy deliverance.
When it comes to our dilemmas in life, we all want to get “there”. We all want to come out on the right side of things. But it’s not going to come easy, it’s not going to come without faith, and it most certainly will not happen apart from God. But the good news is—
“God takes what the enemy intends for evil & uses it for good.” (Genesis 50:20)
Don’t stress about every moving part within the equation. Continue to do your part as you trust God to do His. God is moving on your behalf. He is using this dilemma to develop you. And He will use this dilemma—
to deliver you.
a redemptive story
As He has done from the beginning, God is writing a redemptive story. You have been entrusted with your own unique chapter. Don’t believe for a second that your story is a tragedy when God has so clearly authored a story of triumph.
Don’t grow weary in the waiting. Don’t become discouraged by all that’s wrong, but be reinvigorated by all that God is getting right. You can endure adversity when you cling to your Advocate.
Recognize that “you have been born for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). Remember that God will ultimately arise in your defense. And watch as He faithfully orchestrates—
a redemptive story
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today’s Takeaways
God’s Waiting Room Is Positioning You
He is worthy of our waiting
let god write your redemptive story