For a Time Such as This
“Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”
When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”
Esther 4:10-17
There have been many times in my life where I have felt that God had placed me in exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time. However, it never ceases to amaze me every time it happens.
Maybe traffic on one road caused me to not be in an accident on a totally different stretch of road ahead. Maybe my dog got out of the house and I had to run outside to get her so that I could see the neighbor struggling to get out of his car and was able to help him.
Has that ever happened to you? Someone was in need and you just happened to “stumble” upon the situation with the resources, the knowledge, and the ability to help?
There are many stories in the Bible where this has happened, but I’ve been drawn lately to the story of Queen Esther from the Old Testament. Esther started out as just another Jewish orphan girl who happened to have a pretty face. Because of her looks and her age, Esther was picked among many young ladies in King Xerxes Empire to vie for the position of queen. God chose Esther at a specific time in history and made her in the womb of a woman who would place her into one of Israel’s most desperate times of need.
Esther received favor from everyone, including the King who chose to make her his Queen. However, if you’ve read the whole book of Esther, you’ll see that because she was Jewish, and was married to the King, she was given the unique opportunity to save her people from annihilation. God placed her there, at exactly the right place, and at exactly the right time.
Esther could have easily refused to help. She could have gone on with her life as it was. She knew that in helping her people, she would have to go against one of the King’s laws and risk her life. Mordecai told his cousin Esther, who he raised as if she were his own daughter, “Who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” So after fasting and praying, and asking her people to fast for her, she chose to do what she was called to do.
Our lives have a purpose. Each and every one of us has a purpose. Even though our circumstances may be different, it is an incredible thing when our eyes are opened and we realize that purpose, and we comprehend that we too were made for such a time as this.
You have been chosen. You have been called. We have got to get out there and make a difference and be open to how God wants to use us, for such a time as this. You can make a difference.
Have a blessed day.
~Bev