“For such a time as this.” These words beautifully summarize the whole book of Esther. At that time, Israel was living in exile in a foreign land – separated from God’s promised presence and grace within the Temple, enslaved by a pagan nation, and looked down up and hated by many nations. There came about a plan to eliminate the Jewish people. It was at this time that Esther, a beautiful Jewish woman, won a contest and became queen. And her uncle, Mordecai, sent messengers with these words of warning and encouragement:
“Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14)
With these words, Mordecai convinces Esther to stand up for God’s people, and ultimately, for God’s truth.
Those words spoken thousands of years ago are still applicable for God’s people today. We can relate a lot to this text. We too find ourselves as the “cultural outsiders”, as if we’re living in a foreign land with foreign rules and looked down upon for our faith. We might not be facing the challenge of death as the Israelites were, but we are faced with many challenges and opponents which cause many to panic and question who we are and what we are supposed to be in this time and age and culture.
It would be easy for us to just keep to ourselves and allow the Christian faith to be pushed further back into a corner. It would be easy for us to hide our faith and pretend to be like the rest of the world, hoping to blend in and not be cast out.
But we are not called to live in shame or fear. We’re not called by Jesus to live out our faith in secret, but to boldly and confidently live it out for all the world to see – not fearing what the world may think about us or do to us but trusting in God’s promise to accomplish great things through us.
Who knows what god has planned for you and for what purposes He has place you here for. God has a specific plan for you as an individual, for your family, and for us as a church. As Mordecai said, “Who knows, maybe God has place you here in this place, at this time, with these people, in this situation, for a time such as this!?
You are not who you are by accident. You are not here on accident. You are not facing these challenges and joy with these specific people by chance. God has place you here for a reason. So step forward in faith and boldly live out that faith.
As we look out into the world, we can’t help but see all the pain and suffering and evil around us. We can clearly see that the odds are not in our favor and that to stand firm in our convictions and to do what is right and good will not always benefit us, in fact, it will most likely cause us more frustration.
But maybe that’s the point. Maybe that’s the real blessing behind all of this. It’s through the toughest and darkest times that we are able to see God’s power and provisions. It’s in those moments when we think all is lost that we begin to see that everything is in God’s hands. It’s in those moments of despair that we find real comfort and hope.
We won’t be able to address every issue nor fix every problem, but I hope we can see that we are in the perfect position to proclaim the Good News of Jesus into every issue and challenge we face. God has set us up in this place to bring to our families and community His peace and comfort.
God has placed you here for a time such as this! Allow Him to lead you and keep asking Him to open your eyes, ears, and heart to see, hear, and understand what He is calling you to do.
In His Service
Pastor Noble