Year of Realization - Day 34: The time comes to act.

“On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered the inner court of the palace, just across from the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne, facing the entrance.”

‭‭Esther‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I clearly remember a particular occasion when I was a little girl and our family went to an amusement park in Panama City, Florida. I had some money saved up from my allowance and I bought a book of tickets to ride on the rides. So, I had the tickets; but, as I considered the rides, I was afraid to go on many of them. I remember that I used some of my tickets but left with more unused than used. One of my siblings even taunted me over it. But, it was too late to use those tickets; so I just put them in my little purse and felt ashamed.

Now, whether or not we ride amusement park rides is not going to change the quality or value of our life or our eternal reward. But, reticence to act when you are prepared and your moment comes, hesitating when the opportunity is presented, can lead to great disappointment as well as missing one of the moments of visitation in our life for which we were born.

This has always been a very sad scripture to me:

“The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭78‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Here they were, the army of the Lord. They had what it took to fight. But because of their wayward hearts, they didn’t go to the battle when it was time. Yes, they might as well have been carrying sticks. That day, the bows—rather than enabling them—indicted them for their inaction.

The Ecclesiastical writer makes a poignant observation:

“Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11‬:‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Now, as we were discussing yesterday, preparation is essential. However, none of that preparation will matter if, when the moment comes to act, you draw back.

“Does a farmer always plow and never sow? Is he forever cultivating the soil and never planting? Does he not finally plant his seeds— black cumin, cumin, wheat, barley, and emmer wheat— each in its proper way, and each in its proper place?”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭28‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Farmers don’t continually plow fields and never sow. If they did, their families would starve while looking at their wonderfully prepared fields.

In our opening scripture we see that Esther—having prepared herself for this moment—takes the next step. I can only imagine how hard her heart must’ve been beating and how flushed her beautiful face must’ve been. Yet, she dares to take that step that could very well be her last.

Several years ago, as I was waking from sleep, I heard my own voice giving a speech in which I was saying, “We are always ready. There may be something else we need to know; there may be something else we need to learn. But we are always ready.”

The meaning here is clear: whereas preparation is an ongoing process, as we are depending on the Lord and looking to Him for strength and direction, when the moment comes to act, we do it because we are always ready!

Peace to you.

Jesus is coming! Get ready for Him!

#yearofrealization