Pleasing the King

when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favour in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. *3*And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” *4*And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” *5*Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. *6*And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” *7*Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: *8*If I have found favour in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.” 
Esther 5:2–8.

After the nerves and anxiety of the past few days, why doesn’t Esther just get it over with? Why doesn’t she just blurt out what she wants? What her people need?
The king has asked twice in this passage to know what Esther desires, so why doesn’t she just tell him?

Esther is, wisely, being patient. Despite the imminent danger, the worry and confusion, Esther waits. She has assessed the situation and knows that her standing with the king is not certain. She has previously witnessed how ill-timed requests have been dealt with, and she doesn’t want to end up dead, so she bides her time. She hasn't been requested by him for over a month. So, she wants to make sure she, once again, captures his heart before she makes her request. How refreshing that must of been for the king. He must of been used to people coming in, in humility and trembling, pouring out their emotions and wishes and then expecting a favourable response from him, and action that relieves their suffering. Ultimately, that is what Esther wants too, but before she makes known what she needs. she puts the king first. She knows he enjoys feast and celebrations, so, despite the enormity of her task, Esther seeks to satisfy and win over the king. Esther is not just an average citizen - she considers and concerns herself with the king - his wants and desires before her own. She wishes to please him before she asks for him to do something for her. I wonder how many people approached the king in the same way. Many would of manipulated him, cajoled him and begged him, so Esther's approach stands out. She invites the king. She asks, not for his power, but his presence. She doesn't ask for change right away, but relationship. She seeks to earn favour, not expect it even though she has every right to as a queen and as a wife.

Esther understands that she has a big ask, so she realises she needs to earn her favour with the king. She knows the far-reaching effects of her request, and knows that it isn’t right to ask for such a big thing in a moment, or even after an enjoyable party. The favour she needs must last not just for a moment or one night. So, instead of approaching the king with her wants, she first makes it clear that she is keen to satisfy him. It is clear that Esther’s desire is to ensure the king is happy and accepting of her before she states her cause. Even when the king asks a second time, Esther still waits. She wants to secure her affection in the king's hearts and ensure that the he is satisfied with her, and will act decisively when her request is made known. She wants to have insight into his heart and character once again, to gain the closeness they have previously enjoyed before making any issues known. That way she will be more certain of success, or at least, she will gain insight into hesitation from his side.

Esther has understood how to approach a king. Even when it’s risky business, even when it is dangerous and scary, Esther understands what is required. She knows that the king has all authority and power, and in order for her to gain privilege with him she needs to put him first, not herself or her wants.

Do you approach The King in the same manner?

When you pray, what is your attitude towards God? What are the things you talk about with the King of Kings?
Are you sometimes in such a rush to make your needs known that you just real of a wish-list? Or, do you realis, like Esther, that you have the priveleged position of access to a relationship with the King?

God desires the intimacy that Esther was seeking with her king. He wants to be first in your heart, not to just have your woes and worries poured out as ramble of requests. He will listen to those too, but do you know who He is when you approach Him? Is it more important to you to have your requests fulfilled or your relationship with God grown?

As you enter His presence in prayer, do you consider who He is? That He is the one with ALL authority and power? Do you enter, as Esther does, acknowledging the little she is and has, but keen to satisfy His heart? Do you intend to deepen your intimacy with God and have a relationship with Him every time you chat with Him?

I think we can get forgetful and lazy, and easily reel off our concerns and desires without first considering the mighty King we are approaching.We are fortunate in that we know we have the golden sceptre already reached out to us every time we approach our King. He saves us from death each time, He extends His favour and love to us always. Yet, do you recall that when you approach Him?
You are invited, not just into the throne room, but into the heart of the King, you have an invitation to sit and feast at His table. Remember that next time you talk to Him. Enjoy your time with the King, relax and enjoy His presence, you can tell Him your wants, of course, but take a lesson from Esther and ask yourself - am I pleasing the King? What can you do for Him today?

Who are you working for?

“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” 
 Ecclesiastes 4:8.

This is a good question to ask ourselves. What is the purpose to our working? Whether it’s voluntary, paid, around the home, in the community or in business - what’s the purpose of your toil?

Do you work hard to provide for your family? Give your kids nice things? Provide for your retirement? Make advancements for the next generation? keep busy? earn money? We all have different reasons. I’m not saying any of them are right or wrong, but it is good to consider why do you do what you do.

The verse above implies that as we work we deprive ourselves of some pleasure. That is true - we can’t do all the things we want to when we have all the responsibilities of work (whatever kind of work that is). So is the balance worth it?

I have had times in my life when I have to consider the balance of work and home life. Compromises have to be made. The decision has not always seemed for my benefit either, but it’s often a consideration of many factors.

One of the hardest decisions I had to make regarding work was when I gave up a job I absolutely loved and was good at. It stretched and challenged me, I enjoyed the day-to-day responsibilities and workload. I was successful and I had a sense of enjoyment and escape from the difficult home life we had at the time.
The opportunity then came up for me to be at home full-time without losing a wage. That, for me, was a terribly difficult decision (it may seem like a dream to some). I found home life so difficult that work was an escape. Maybe you’ve experienced something like that, or even the other way around. I had to carefully consider if I could give up something I enjoyed for something that would deprive me of pleasure and success, and would most certainly be toil. Maybe God is also calling you to something that is really hard, or to make a decision that seems not to make sense but you have a yearning towards it - what are you going to do?

At that time in my life I felt that God asked me to give up the job. It took me weeks to consider, pray and set my mind to do it though as it was not something that I actually wanted to do. Sometimes our lives call us to endure toil. This was a time of great toil for me. But my life is not just about me getting enjoyment, success or pleasure out of it.

As christians, God calls us all to go and make disciples (Matthew 28:19), and I was required during that season to give up some pleasure in order to invest in the future disciples of our household. I was required to invest in the lives entrusted to us. It took me weeks of internal battle to make that decision because I didn’t’t actually want to do it. I was aware this season would be one of toil. But, now, over 3 years later, has the investment been worth it? Really, does that even matter? To God, our obedience matters, but yes, our family looks vastly different to how it was then. We have all grown. I have had the privilege of noticing the small improvements, to provide the simple things that our kids have appreciated and we have healthy relationships. I can only hope and pray that this continues. The years of toil for you and I will be worth it when we are following what God wants us to do. If our toil is simply doing it for our own advancement there is limited reward in that.

 “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” 

You may say for me, it was for our kids, but mainly I did it because God was asking me to, and of course, it was of benefit to our family. The long-lasting effects, who knows?!
I am now in a position where I am again considering my work life. It seems like God is unsettling some things and bringing some new things closer - what decision will I make in the following months? Where am I going? and what am I going to do? Am I going to trust God in the difficult decisions when there’s an easy way ahead? I pray for you and I that we will bravely take God’s way - there’s much more pleasure in that even when there’s a lot of toil involved.

I'd encourage you to take time today to consider this, and maybe ponder these questions:
Are you following your own plan?
Someone else plan?
Or God’s plan in your life?
Does your work fulfil the mission God has given you?
For whom are you toiling and depriving yourself of pleasure?