A Better Way to Wait

"For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14, emphasis mine)

God has a way of situating you just where He wants while He slowly turns the whole world around you. You were on the outside looking in and then on the periphery. But now you're finding yourself (literally) in the center of His will for your life. Do you really want to be there? It's probably because you prayed something along those lines way back, when you were bored, and now whaddaya know? "I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill." (Psalm 3:4) Dear Lord. You heard that?

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." (Psalm 32:8)

Ad hoc

"But when the fulness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)

At just the right time, God started His program for re-entry into this atmosphere. No sooner, no later. I don't think I spend the time meditating upon God's perfect timing as I should. He has never let me down and never not come through with the answer I needed. This being said, as we are ever growing into greater and greater Christlikeness, there will always be that struggle, that trial that tests our faith and our patience in whatever capacity. There are times, as the top verse from Esther notes, that God allows you to see the inevitable outcome from your vantage point. Really, any vantage point encompassing something so great as that which affects all God's people is coming from the same vantage point as He. So don't fret. God formed you, He placed you where you are and had his angels and anyone else inclined to participate play their part to get His ball rolling.

In situ

"And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant's sake, and Israel mine elect, I have surnamed thee, though thou has not known me." (Isaiah 45:3-4)

Think about it: "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." (2 Chronicles 16:9a) That's what God is doing right now. Romans (8:28) says God "works all things together for good to them that love [Him]". As if He had anything better to do! Anytime God issues a statement after a victory, it's always with the tense of "for my sake." It's personal with Him—and you can be a part of it. In situ essentially means "in the same place where it has always been". God started a world-wide cleanup project with Jesus. All things considered, everything's taken care of and God will get to you if He hasn't already. It takes great faith to see something like this as true and even greater faith to see it come to fruition—to where it's actually living in your life and community. I'd wager we're all in the middle of some aspect of this angle on God's plan. The key, in this and every case, is getting to know Him as well as we can where we are. To where we can anticipate what He'll do because we have a mind like His. Thing is, He takes delight in surprising His children. He called Cyrus and even though it plainly says "though thou hast not known me", it doesn't mean that we, being "children of the Most High." (Psalm 82:6, this verse is in the negative) know "Our Father who art in Heaven" as well as we should.

I was talking with a friend recently and after sharing some pretty vexing and perplexing and convoluted and seemingly impassable situations with him, received one of the most encouraging and refreshing words of counsel I'd heard in a while. He told me to "enjoy it". To enjoy this downtime. Because the only way out is through—Him.

"Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." (Isaiah 26:2-4, emphasis mine)

"Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:" (1 Peter 1:6)

Till the Light Reaches You (A Better Way to Wait part 2)

Crowns, Thorns