For Such A Time As This

FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Esther 4:14, "For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Why am I here, right now and in this place? What is my life all about anyway? These are two of the most challenging questions that arise in the heart of a man. While many people have claimed to find the answer to these questions, the real answer is only found in the plan of God for your life.

Esther, whose name meant “secret or hidden” was a beautiful young girl of tribes of Israel but she was not in Israel anymore. She was instead, a slave of King Ahasuerus of the Medio/Persian Empire. God’s chosen people were in bondage and one of the king’s princes, Haman, whose name meant “noise or tumult”, had devised a foul plot to have all of the Jews exterminated. Haman was a sort of ancient Hitler who saw the extermination of the Jews as the final solution to the woes of the kingdom.

Little did Haman know that God already knew his secret plans and had positioned his own “secret, hidden” deliverer and was already at work bringing Esther to the forefront of the deliverance of Israel from certain death.

If you will read the entirety of the Book of Esther that tells of her story and how God used her to deliver her people, you will see the pattern that all Christians must follow in their decision to obey the call of God.

I wonder how often she had thought to herself, “Why am I here? Why was I born a slave instead of free to enjoy serving and worshipping the God of Israel in the land of my fathers?” I didn’t do anything to deserve this. It’s not my fault that Israel sinned. I was just a small child when we were taken captive, or maybe she hadn’t even been born yet.”

I wonder if she thought to herself, “I’m a nobody with nothing to offer. I’m an orphan girl, raised by my uncle, not a prince in Israel. I’m trained to take care of children and raise a family, not to be warrior! Besides that, don’t you remember what happened to Queen Vashti for refusing to dance before the king so that the whole kingdom could see her beauty? The king had her executed and she was his wife, what to you think he will do to me? There has to be another way! There has to be someone else who can do the job better than I can!”

God makes no mistakes. He knew what it would take to reach into the king’s heart to change him. It would take the warm smile of a pretty young girl to flutter her eyelids and speak kindly to him so God prepared Esther to fill the requirements of the king and bring about God’s will. She was prepared for such a time as this!

What would it have been like if Esther would have refused to be used by God? What would have become of her family and friends if she had said no? What would Israel have done if their intercessor had not fulfilled her mission in life? Esther was born for such a time as this!

Think about those around you and let’s see if we can see why God allows his people to face such hardships and how he works to bring a deliverer?

There’s the Christian teenager, who feels trapped in life because he has to live by the rules set before him by godless parents, has those questions to arise in his mind.

What does that teenager’s life mean? I’m sure they have the same thoughts as Esther did. Why can’t I be free to serve the Lord; free from those who hold authority over me and still live in rebellion against God’s law?

Perhaps God is preparing you for the job that is laid before you. It may be the constant bombarding of Heaven on behalf of his family that finally brings the deliverance from sin that they so desperately need. It may the example of his faithfulness in the midst of persecution from his own family that finally breaks through their shell of sin and shame to let them know that God is real and that he is the only answer.

What about the elderly, whose lives have been spent in serving the Lord, but who are now extremely limited in what they can do for God often wonder, why do you leave me here God? What good am I to anyone anymore?