Esther 4:12-17
12 And they told to Mordecai Esther’s words.
13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king’s house, more than all the Jews.
14 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?
15 Then Esther bade them return Mordecai this answer,
16 Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
17 So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.Isaiah 40:31
31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Now, even though what happened in the three days between chapters 4 and 5 is not recorded, don’t think for a moment that God is whiling away His time, busy with other things. Remember, He may be invisible, but He is at work. That’s the beauty of His invisibility. He can be moving in a thousand places at the same time, working in circumstances that are beyond our control. During a waiting period, God is not only working in our hearts, He’s working in others’ hearts. And all the while He is giving added strength. Remember Isaiah’s words about waiting?
Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. (Isaiah 40:31)
Even though the prophet’s pen put these words on the sacred page centuries ago, that verse of Scripture is as pertinent and relevant as what you read in the paper this morning—and far more trustworthy. From this verse we learn that four things happen when we wait.
First, we gain new strength. We may feel weak, even intimidated, when we turn to our Lord. While waiting, amazingly we exchange our weakness for His strength.
Second, we get a better perspective. It says we “will mount up with wings like eagles.” Eagles can spot fish in a lake several miles away on a clear day. By soaring like eagles while waiting, we gain perspective on our situation.
Third, we store up extra energy. “We will run and not get tired.” Notice, it’s future tense. When we do encounter the thing we have been dreading, we will encounter it with new strength—extra energy will be ours to use.
Fourth, we will deepen our determination to persevere. We “will walk and not become weary.” The Lord whispers reassurance to us. He puts steel in our bones, so to speak. We begin to feel increasingly more invincible.
We’ll gain new strength. We’ll get a better perspective. We’ll store up extra energy. We’ll deepen our determination to persevere. All that happens when we . . . wait.
During waiting periods, God works both in our hearts and in others’ hearts.
— Charles R. Swindoll
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