IN THE NICK OF TIME

As I sat in the car waiting for Ken to do some cabinet order for a client, my Bible resting in my lap, there was a cry in my heart for God to show Himself to me in a pressing and desperate matter. After putting up a valiant fight to keep our financial heads above water, the early-80’s economy brought about the final drowning. Our “little house on the prairie” had a notice on the door that we needed to be out of it in 15 days. We were packed, but we just didn’t know where we were going.

“Lord,” I said, “what are you trying to teach me? Please help me.” I turned to the book of Esther and began to read, thinking in the back of my mind that it was possibly a strange place to seek help in the time of need. God, it turned out, had directed my page turning.

Esther’s story was certainly not unfamiliar to me, but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t read it with great pleasure. What an amazing act of God in history! Without getting nothing more from it other than the fact that God was at work protecting His chosen people, the book is a blessing and encouragement.

Nevertheless, my cry to God to show Himself to me did not go unheard. As I read about the evil intent of Haman and his glee at the anticipation of doing away with Mordecai, his despised enemy, that good feeling came that appears when you know the end of the story. From a human standpoint, there was no hope. Haman confidently shared his plans with his family and friends, built the gallows on which to do away with his nemesis and went to sleep. Tomorrow was the big day! Thus ends Chapter Two.

I started into Chapter Three, knowing what was about to happen, but the first three words shone like a light into my heart. Having read the Bible through in the past, I undoubtedly had read them before, but they had never hit me like they did that day. I read, “On that night could not the king sleep.” You know the story. The king could not sleep so he called for someone to come and read history books to him. (And we count sheep!)

He read about a man who had saved his life and upon finding out that he had never honored that man, set a plan in motion to do so. And you know the rest of the story.

What touched me was the fact that it was the night before the disaster when God worked. He gave the king insomnia, “on that night.” It wasn’t a week before or a month before. It was on the last possible moment for anything to be done that could be done.

I knew exactly what God wanted me to know. He often works at the last minute. Is that because He wants there to be no doubt about who did it? A strange and lasting peace settled into me. What was 15 days to the Lord? He could take care of me, of us, even if it was the last possible hour. In this case, it was 6 days before we had to move that He provided, in an unusual way, a place for us to move…rent free. Just in the nick of time. You can read about it in a day or two.