Tenting in torrential rain isn’t great timing. I remember wishing I had a kayak or dinghy for a bed, while camping in a deluge. How many times have we felt ‘in the right place at the wrong time’? At a weekend music festival, friends found an idyllic, of-the-beaten-track, safe spot to pitch their tent, only to return later to be surrounded by drunken parties & fights; leaving their tent for a short while they returned to find it ransacked and looted; right time, wrong place! Due to a delay in booking flights for a
lastminute week in the sun I ended up paying £300 more thank quoted days earlier. Bad timing me thinks! But last time I did the 5-Ferries Cycle Challenge, the weather was immaculate & brought out the awesome beauty of Arran & our West Coast. Sensational! Right place, right time!!

‘Esther’ was in the right place at the right time to save the whole Jewish race from obliteration, courageously standing up for her people, whatever the personal dangers! When the king invited her to speak she grasped opportunity with both hands. ‘For such a time as this’ her whole life had been preparation. Apart from the story of Esther we hear nothing else of her in history, but within minutes she affected its whole course, paving the way for Jesus coming.

Here’s hoping that we see lots more sunshine this summer & that the end of term time doesn’t signal the usual downpours. “Am I ready for Esther moment(s)” when my choices are critical to the salvation and wellbeing of others. How am I training for those moments, when the goal is open & I score? What good habits & disciplines am I practising to ensure ‘Esther moments’ don’t pass me by and I don’t bottle it come the crunch?

Time & space to listen & hear what God is saying to me is tops, & obedience, daily doing what God wants, whatever the cost to self. ‘A long obedience in the same direction’ is what E Peterson calls it. Mercifully, when we score own goals, botch it and get our timings calamitously wrong, God gifts fresh starts and mixes the bad, good and ugly together for good. In the face of blunders & bad timing, let’s give thanks for the things we do have, rather than complain about what we don’t have. I assure you, it’s a mood changer and helps you see that, standing in the sunshine of God’s Grace, whatever life’s weather, you are truly ‘Blessed’!

“Lord, make me brave enough to stand up for You when You need me most, in the right place at the right time with timely silence and opportune words to speak!”