SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
Esther 4:10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and ordered him to reply to Mordecai:
11 "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days."
Esther was an orphaned girl brought up under the care of her uncle Mordecai. Later, she became a queen to the great King Xerces. She was now as comfortable as she could be. Gone are the days of her sorrow, her loneliness and misfortune. Now! promoted as the queen she is on cloud 9. She is happy with life, content and settled.
Then came a time of trouble to the Jews. A testament of death was signed up by evil Haman who was in charge of the Kings affairs. Mordecai is alert, he knows the seriousness of this verdict of death to all Jews on one chosen day. He has to act. God reminds Mordecai of Esther who can be of of great help at - SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
This is the time, most awaited time, opportune time for which God had promoted Esther to be as Queen, a Jewish Queen to a Pagan King. But Esther is totally not aware of the plan of God. Ignorant as she is, she denies responsibility in the above verse. She quotes helplessness and shrugs away saying - "Mind your own trouble, I am unable to help you Mordecai."
Mordecai replies a fitting reply to Esther - "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. "For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether YOU HAVE NOT ATTAINED ROYALTY FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?" (Esther 4:13-14)
Shofar Tabernacle is a Miracle Ministry. That is God's mandate upon us. There have been scores of people who have been benefited by the Anointing of God upon our Ministry. People received Jobs, Healings, Promotions, Legal Disputes solved, Deliverance's and so on. I never asked them anything in return. We don't sell God's Gifts but we choose to operate out of His Love. Then came a time in our Ministry that we were unable to accommodate men and women in our congested hall. It was time for us to move to a proper place of worship. God reminded me to get in touch with all those whom he had elevated for SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
There are times of Purpose and Direction in our Lives that are revealed to us clearly by the Almighty. We only need to realize and respond to such times. If we miss those times, we will never be able to call them back.
I remember that I had prayed for many years to get married to the right kind of girl - humble, obedient and God-fearing. God brought such a person forward and proved to me that she is the one. Yet, on the other side, Satan was breathing trouble at all sides. One of my closest friend was unhappy about this proposal. I considered doing away with this proposal when God's Word came to me - "If you reject this proposal which is in my life out of the fear of Persecutions, you will never find another one as best as this for you."
That was all! I yielded to the plan of God. My friend later repented and knew it was God's Will after all. God had brought forward SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
When Jesus walked on this earth, He preached, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)". But how many responded to this call? only a few! Israel couldn't make the use of SUCH A TIME!
Illustration: A Pastor warned a particular believer in his church to stop drinking and smoking and repent and turn to the Lord. He smiled in ridicule and thought to himself that there was sufficient time for taking spiritual life seriously. The Pastor was actually prophesying to him. A few days later, this person was walking in front of his house, he was drunk, he tripped over a small stone before him and later died on the same day.
Do we respond to God's call??? Do we take God's call seriously??
1) Moses denies Responsibility to the Call of God, later Submits
God said to Moses, "Exodus 3:10 Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."
The reply of Moses was of
a) INFERIORITY COMPLEX - "Who Am I that I should go..." (Exodus 3:11)
b) UNBELIEF - "Suppose, they will not believe.....(Exodus 4:1)"
c) LAME EXCUSE - "I am not Eloquent...(Exodus 4:10)"
d) STRAIGHT DENIAL - "Send someone else......(Exodus 4:13)"
God was angry with Moses, yet, Patient in strengthening him to resume responsibility.
2) Jonah denies Responsibility later submits
Jonah 1:1 The word of the L ORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before Me." 3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the L ORD. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
The response of Jonah was:
a) He runs away (Jonah 1:3)
b) Hides in the lowest parts of the ship (Jonah 1:5)
c) Prefers Death more than Repentance and Submission (Jonah 1:12-15)
But God does not leave us when He calls us. He does not shrug us away, even when we deny and reject Him. He is patient with us in gentle pursuance. Amen! Hallelujah!
However, there are People in the Scriptures who assumed responsibility during the time of God's call:
1) Abraham
a) Abraham responds to the Call of God, (Genesis 12:1 Come out of your brethren...)"
b) Abraham departed as the LORD had told him...(Genesis 12:4)
No doubt, Abraham was called as the "Father of Faith"
2) Isaiah
Isaiah responded,
Isaiah 6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I. Send me!"
3) Mary
Mary responded when as a Virgin, she was declared to be with a child. A difficult proposition,
Luke 1:38 And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
4) Disciples
The disciples of Jesus were working as Fishermen when God called them, they responded to God's call,
Matthew 4:19 And He *said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
5) A Boy Responds to the Call of Jesus
Scripture mentions that a small boy who had 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes (John 6:5-13) responded to the call of Jesus. The boy might have heard Jesus saying, "where shall we buy break...(John 6:5)". He responded and came forward with whatever he had in his hands. The result was, that Jesus fed the 5000 hungry by a little boy's obedience to the call of God.
Dear friend in Christ, you are also called for a Divine Purpose. God has a greater purpose and plan for you. Do not deny your responsibility at SUCH A TIME AS THIS!
"Refusal to accept your responsibility is a loss to you, a terrible loss."
God spoke through the Prophet Haggai,
Haggai 1:6 "You have sown much, but harvest little; you eat, but there is not enough to be satisfied; you drink, but there is not enough to become drunk; you put on clothing, but no one is warm enough;and he who earns, earns wages to put into a purse with holes."
The background was like this:
a) The people say, "The time has not come,......the time that the Lord's house be built." (Haggai 1:2)
b) They dwelt in paneled houses (Haggai 1:4)
The prophet reminded the people,
- "Go up to the mountains, bring wood and rebuild the temple, that I may be pleased with it and be glorified," says the LORD . (Haggai 1
:8)
- The people and the elders finally obey (Haggai 1:12)
In Revelations 3:7-8, the Church of Philadelphia was the only Church with a testimony - "you have not denied My Name."
a) Their Strength was little
b) They kept the Word
c) They did not deny His Name.
Are you denying your Spiritual Call?? your Spiritual responsibility??
Go! build the Kingdom of God! Obey! You are Blessed!
Pastor Sumeet MJ
