Thank you for joining
me for the last and final part of this series. It has been such a treat to let
you in on the revelation God gave to me about this passage of scripture in the
book of Esther. It has helped to shape me in so many ways. In my previous post,
I talked about the importance of seeking, accepting and acting on godly wisdom.
(click here for part 3). Today, I conclude
the series by discussing submitting to God’s time and God’s process in your
life.
As we read the text
that has been the backdrop for this series, Esther 2:5-14, we learn that she is
a part of a group of women selected to go before the king in hopes of being
chosen to be the next queen. However, before she got her chance to go before
him, she spent a year in preparation (verse 12). That time of preparation consisted of “six
months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and preparations for
beautifying women.” Oil of myrrh was
sometimes used as an antiseptic. Let’s
take a look at the word “antiseptic”. Anti means against or cures/neutralizes.
Septic comes from the root word
“sepsis” which means poisoned state caused by absorbing small organisms that
causes diseases. Esther spent six months being cleansed from anything that
could infect or defile her physical body. This same process must be done in the spirit as well.
The second half of her
preparation process was spent receiving perfumes and beauty treatments. After
all, she was being prepared to go before the king. I’ve come to learn that you should
not go before a king looking any kind of way—not the CEO of your company, men and women of God, leaders, officials—no king!
Esther was in the palace for at least a year before she got her
opportunity to go before him. If she had
not submitted to the prescribed preparations, I have no doubt that she would
not have received the chance to be presented to him, let alone be chosen as
queen.
Many of us are very
impatient when it comes to waiting on God to move us. I know I am! Well, I was.
I am learning to slow down, let the Lord prepare me and THEN let Him
move me. I’ve gone ahead of God way to many times and paid dearly for it. God is
a God of excellence, decency and order. Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV says To everything there is a season, A time for
every purpose under heaven.
Preparation and process may seem very tedious but it’s so necessary. As
I’ve surveyed my life, I can honestly tell you that I am very happy that I
didn’t do some things when I thought I
was ready for them, like marriage for example. Here are some suggestions on what to do while waiting and being prepared:
1. Keep your eyes off the calendar and
stop watching the clock. Psalms 31:15 says My times are in Your hand…; Psalms 62:8
says Trust in Him at all times, you
people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. When I read
about Joshua, David and Moses, these men were prepared before they were
promoted. Promotion comes from God, not man (Psalms 75:6-7). We must be fully
persuaded that God is not on our natural time schedule. He works in the
supernatural.
2. Keep your eyes on the word of God
and keep the word of God in your ears. The word of God is
paramount when it comes to reminding us of God’s promises and His system.
Joshua 1:8 speaks of reading and meditating the word of God and the guaranteed
result of doing such. Keeping the word of God in your ears keeps you focused on
Him and not the “it”. It also builds up your faith according to Romans 10:17. The word also gives you direction and
guidance.
4. Yield and fully submit yourself to
the process. There is no shortcut. The flesh
profits nothing. (John 6:63) and everything we do in the flesh will fail. Everything that God allows or whatever door
He opens will be used to prepare you for something else. David tended to his
father’s sheep, which means he had to fight off animals that were a threat to
the sheep. He used the same skills to
slay Goliath. (1 Samuel 17).
I hope this encouraged you not to give up on God,
your preparation and His timing. Everything God does is purposed. He wastes
nothing. So stop worrying and fretting.
The Lord has not forgotten you! I
thank you for joining me in this series. I pray that you’ve learned that a good
name is rather to be chosen, how to come out from among them, in all your
getting get wisdom and to everything there is a season. I pray this series has
blessed you and provoked you to seek God on a deeper level. Hallelujah to our
Lord!
Father
in Heaven, I lift up every person reading this today. I pray that they have
been provoked to seek You and learn of You. You want the absolute best for us
in all areas. May Your word go forth richly in their lives. In the powerful name
of Jesus, Amen.
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