Esther 1:12-22
I am sorry to say this, but I have to open today’s podcast with a confession. Argh. Confessing is never fun, but a necessary step to being right before God and man.
Yesterday I woke up an hour before my alarm went off. Now, sometimes I can just roll over and just gp back to sleep, but this was different. I was very alert, and sensed a deep concern for the nation. I decided to get up and open my Bible and hear from God. He was calling, and I wanted to come to Him!
That sounds good, doesn’t it? Like I’m some great spiritual gal that God calls on to be a watchman in the middle of the night. And it would have been great if I hadn’t decided to open my phone and read messages, news, and Facebook posts. Then I checked the weather, responded to an email and…
Oh my goodness. I have ten minutes left for God!
I FINALLY set my phone down and attempted to quiet my heart.
I noticed God was quiet. Even distant. Present, perhaps, but it felt as though he were standing at a distance with arms crossed and a frown on His face.
I realized then… I had told God NO.
By putting God “on hold” after He called me to come pray and be with Him, I actually joined Queen Vashti, who, as we talked about in yesterdays podcast, was the one who said “No.”
It was a terrible feeling. God had things to say, people that needed prayer, He came to me and I turned Him away! Ouch.
This is precisely what Vashti did in Esther 1:12. Let’s go there now.
“But the queen Vashti refused to come at the Kings commandment by His chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth (gotta love the old King James) and his anger burned in him.”
Why did Vashti say “No?”
I think we like to “Americanize” this lady. We want to defend her choice to say “No” to a man who wants to parade her in front of his drunken buddies like a piece of meat. We understand her refusal. We may even applaud it!
But what if… (and we are not told why, so we can only speculate) she said No because she thought she was so highly favored by the King, she could afford the risk. Vashti had a lot to lose. Her own house, chambermaids, estate, prestige, and even her very life! but she didn’t seem to be worried about the consequences.
Thinking you can do no wrong before the king because he loves and accepts you no matter how boorish you may behave, is a dangerous place to be. We are continually told God loves us, he has a wonderful plan for our lives, he forgives all our sin… so we think “meh.” One little compromise. One time act of disobedience. God won’t mind. I can sit on my phone all day, I can watch junk on TV… God is omnipresent! He will still be there waiting for me when I show up!
Look at Esther 1:13. Despite Gods love and mercy, it is still important we know the times! Even the king was concerned about the times.
I am a school bus driver.
I have a stop ay 6:58 am. The student at that stop may be my favorite! She may be a straight A student. She may be the most beautiful and loving person you can meet, but if she is not at the bus stop at 6:58 I have to move on. She has missed the bus.
Now look at 1:15-20
Vashti missed the bus.
I missed the bus yesterday morning.
We are in an important time in history! This nation and other nations are at a tipping point ready to fall into judgment or be delivered! Angels are perched on high waiting breathlessly to see if Gods people will wake up and respond to His clear call!
Either way the nation goes, your ability to survive and thrive and get direction from God depends on your “Yes!” It depends on your showing up even when its inconvenient. God has a time and a place for you.
If you look in Matthew 25 :1-13 you will read there about some sleepy virgins who did not carry enough oil! When the bus came for them, they had to run back for oil. No one has the oil YOU need. You cannot rely on them. So these Virgins run back, get oil, and try to get into the wedding. They assume being late to the call is ok. But it’s too late. That time has passed!
Look what happened to Vashti: 1:20-22
Vashtis time as queen came to a shocking end.
Saying No does not mean our life is over and there is no hope. It does mean we lost something valuable. It does mean we have to take extra steps to get back to where we already were with the Lord.
I don’t want to miss out on what God has for me!
I don’t want you to miss out on attaining to the destiny he is calling you into!
Lets surrender our lives to Him and repent of our “No’s.”
Then, lets get up and get going!
We have a bus to catch!
