For Such a Time as This
Good morning. It is Friday, October 22, 2021. Jeanette Stark here.
On Tuesday I wrote about fear and people growing weary. Today I want to talk about being bold.
If I say to you, “for such a time as this” what do you think of?
Not too long ago I was recording an episode of Women in the Word with my good friends Terah and Alta. The topic was favorite book of the Bible and why. I chose Job. Alta chose John and Terah chose Esther.
I want to talk about Esther today.
I love the book of Esther for many reasons.
1) it features a strong woman character.
2) it has suspense, plots, and intrigue.
3) it has a happy ending.
4) the entire book is only 10 chapters long, short enough to read with your morning’s hot beverage. And man oh man…is it good story!
Esther was an orphaned exile, who would eventually risk execution. But God had a plan.
God always has a plan. We may not see it at times, in fact, we may not see it most of the time, but God is always working behind the scenes.
“Now when the turn came for Esther…to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her.” Esther 2:15 NKJV
I think we too often romanticize the story, but Esther did not know how her story would end. She was forced to leave her uncle and live in the palace. She was forced, as a virgin, to sleep with the king who was quite a bit older than she. She had no idea she would be queen. If the king did not call her a second time, she would forever live with the other concubines, never returning to her home and her family.
“Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.” Esther 2:13-14 NKJV
In many ways Hegai, the king’s eunuch, symbolizes the Holy Spirt and the way the Spirit can and will guide in our lives. Just the way Hegai prepared Esther to meet the king, the Holy Spirit will prepare us to meet the heavenly King.
I like that!
I take a lot from this book. There is a lot there! One such lesson is if we do not answer God’s call, he will find someone else who will.
“For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place…” Esther 4:14 NKJV
Someone once pointed out that God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther. I wonder why? Could it be so that our takeaway is, that we do not always see God’s working, but we can know He is always there?
Indeed. God can take what looks impossible and work it out to His good and perfect plan. He knows the beginning from the end. All we need to do is trust and obey.
Your trust and faith must be strong, like a muscle. If you do not use your legs, soon you will not be able to walk or stand up. If you do not use your arms, soon you will not be able to lift anything. In the same way if you do not practice faith, if you do not use and apply faith and trust, soon you will become distracted and distraught, weary and dejected. That is NOT God’s plan for your life!
We, like Esther, possess a power within us that can bless others. We may not save a nation of people, but we could save our family. We could save a friend.
Yes, these are tough times, but times have always been tough. There have been seasons of wealth and health, but they are all book-ended by wars and droughts, pain and suffering. Do not give up. Do not become discouraged. Be bold!
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? - Romans 8:31 NKJV
You may be in a place right now and wondering “What am I doing here?” Why Lord? What can I possibly do? Why am I enduring all the pain, frustration, and hardship? Perhaps God is at work. Trust Him!
“…Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 NKJV
