Not Just Yet

More on Esther, this time about her uncanny sense of timing. Have you ever wondered why Esther doesn’t just come right out and tell the king what she wants after he extends his golden scepter? Why does she dilly-dally? I mean, he’s just said that up to half the kingdom is hers, and yet she hesitates. Instead of telling Ahasuerus what she really wants, Esther asks if he and Haman will come to a banquet that she has prepared in his honor. At the banquet, the king again presses her for the request, and again she declines. Rather than tell Ahasuerus about Haman’s plot to have all of the Jews killed, she invites him and Haman to yet another banquet. Eventually, Esther exposes Haman for the wicked, self-centered, puffed-up, evil man he is WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT.

Rereading this passage reminds me of the importance of timing and the role it plays in the success or failure of the events and enterprises we undertake. There are many circumstances in which if we move too soon, our efforts might be botched. If we wait too long, then we might miss the opportunity. It’s hard to always know exactly what the right time is, and when thinking about Esther, I think she had fasting and prayer on her side.

For three days, all of the Jews in the land, including Esther herself, had fasted and prayed. I’ve heard that if you simply fast and not pray, then you’re just going hungry. I have to believe that Esther and the others had both fasted and prayed, and hence she was more receptive to the spirit. Something told her, “Not now. Wait a bit.”

More times that I can recount, my husband has asked, “What’s wrong?” I usually reply, “Nothing really,” and yet most of the time there is something very wrong. I’m peeved, annoyed, vexed, concerned, or worried about something, and yet I hesitate to tell him. Sometimes it’s because of my mood. From experience, I’ve learned that speaking about sensitive matters when angry can actually escalate the problem. Other times, it might be his mood. If he’s sullen, then I can pick that up right away and back off for a bit. If he’s happy, I’ll wait a while also; why upset him with bad news?

And it’s not just with husbands. I used to have a supervisor who was so temperamental that all of the employees in her department quickly learned to read her face for nonverbal feedback. “Today’s not a good day,” we'd whisper to each other. Or “Hey, she’s smiling; now’s a good time to ask about your mileage check.” It didn’t take long for any new hires to learn to read her moods if they wanted to survive. And isn’t this also true with friends, children, and just about anyone with whom we associate?

What about you? Have you ever moved too soon on something? Have you ever piped up and “said your piece” only to regret it later? Are there times when you’ve been more sensitive to that little voice that says, “Not just yet”? How do you know when the time is just right and when you need to be patient?