3:15 - communing with God essential

She rises while yet it is night and gets (through communion with her God?) spiritual food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.

When I homeschooled I loved to be up early and have time alone. I would dig into the word, spend time in prayer and worship, and journal to the Lord. I would read this verse and regard my three children as my maids, and seek the Lord for the coming day's needs.

There are two scriptural lessons I have taken regarding 'rising while it is yet night' for that days 'food'. One is of course Jesus' example of seperating Himself for quiet times alone. Its easy to get caught up in the business around us, but it is vital to ensure we get that time in quiet meditation and undistracted communion with our Father. It rejuvenates, refreshes, renews and refills!

The other hit home when I taught Sunday School. I had been given permission to start at Genesis and take the kids through the old testament. We were at the part when God sent manna every day for the people to gather. The manna was the size of a coriander seed and tasted like sweet wafers of honey, so I went out and bought some coriander seed - they are tiny! I also bought some Frosted Flakes and broke them up little. The Isrealites had to gather about 2 liters every morning, so I also gathered as many 2 liter bottles as I could. During Sunday school I proceeded to spread the seed and some flakes all over the carpeted floor, and had the kids gather as much as they could. It was hard work and we personally never came close to gathering 2 liters worth! I had had the notion that God basically served manna to them in bed every morning and night - no cooking, cleaning or shopping - can I go there!? HA! Was I wrong in my perception. Gathering manna every day for that day's need took diligent work - gathering coriander seed size sugar wafers from the sandy wilderness would not have been easy. I am very thankful that I can talk to Jesus throughout my day, 'when I get up and when I walk by the way', and that seeking Him can be a lot of fun, like playing hide-n-seek with Abba. Yet I also believe that He doesn't serve us 'breakfast in bed' daily, that in order to grow it does take some work.

I have been looking up the verses that this particular Bible associated with each one, and I found this one particularily interesting, it leads to Job 23:12...
"I always do what God commands; I follow His will, not my own desires."

Hmm ... I could very easily set off on many runaways here!
Let me finish with Esther - I think of her because she was an amazing woman and example to us. During a women's prayer group a friend did some teaching on Esther and revealed something to me I hadn't seen.
Here is Esther, raised by her uncle, obedient and respectful to him, goes to the palace, where for a good year she is prepared to see the King once. If she pleases the King above all the other beautiful women she may become Queen. However, the number of women that are there, chances are that a woman would see the King once and then live her life out in the King's harlem, perhaps never to be called upon again, and never having a family.
"Before a girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes and cosmetics. And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name."
A lot of girls would take this opportunity and run with it - it may be their last chance - give a girl an endless credit card and the best stores - an opportunity to have what she always dreamed of - and a chance to win the position of Queen while you do it!!
However, that is not what Esther did...
"When the turn came for Esther (the girl Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her."

If you aren't connecting the dots - Esther knew that the eunuch would have a better idea of what the king's likes were, so rather then indulging her own desires she only asked for what the eunuch suggested - and in doing so won the favor of everyone!

We too have the opportunity in ways to run with grace and freedom and live as we deem right - or we can take that grace and freedom back to the KING and ask what HIS desires are for us.

Father, May I not allow 'a little slumber and a little folding of hands' to grip me, but instead may I rise while it is yet night and commune with You for the day's needs and plans. May I obey Your Voice and not my own selfish desires. And may I follow through with the tasks I am to give to my 'maids'. I know You know what is best and I trust You. Amen.