Monday, August 20

For Such a Time as This



I was driving back to Ozark from Oklahoma on Saturday and listening to the book of Esther on my Bible app. Esther's story has always been one of my favorite Bible stories, especially since I saw "VeggieTales: Esther, The Girl Who Became Queen." It's a good one. You should watch it. :) Anywho, I felt like the Lord was wanting me to listen for something, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I kept thinking, "I already know this story. What could be new about it?" But instead of giving up, I kept listening, thinking maybe something would stick out at me. 

And finally...BAM. I heard this verse:

"If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" Esther 4:14 (emphasis added)

There it was. I knew that's what God was trying to share with me. I couldn't have missed it because it hit me like a ton of bricks. 

For just such a time as this...

Perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this...

Have you ever thought to yourself (or to God), "What in the world am I doing here?" Or maybe you've thought, "What exactly is the point of this, God?" I have been in many circumstances and situations when I have thought those things. Sometimes I wonder what in the world God could possibly be trying to teach me. The problem with questioning God is that we will never even come close to comprehending all of his knowledge. God knows everything about our lives, even down to the minor, minor details. He has gone before us and prepared the way for us, and has a perfect plan for every single person He created (which is everyone, by the way). 


It's really easy to get frustrated with God when things don't go our way. It's also really easy to act like what we're doing "isn't God's will anymore" when it isn't turning out like we thought it would. Let's face it. When the job isn't easy or it's not benefitting us, we don't want it anymore. And that was Esther's problem. Her assignment to be the queen wasn't easy. She was appointed to this position for a purpose, and her task was hard. She was afraid to follow God's lead because she feared what might happen as a result.


We canNOT let fear or selfishness distract us from the call of God. Esther was needed in order to save her people from being killed! She had a huge responsibility, and she was allowing herself to back down to fear. The point is this: We all will go or are going through difficult seasons. God pushes us and challenges us so we will become more dependent on Him and less confident in our own strength. If we learn to rely on God in the easy seasons of life, it will become our default in the hard seasons of life.


Thankfully, Esther's story has a happy ending. Esther DID follow God's lead, and her people WERE saved from death because she listened to Uncle Mordecai who told her, "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" The same goes for you. Who knows if God brought you to where you are for such a time as this? Who knows if there is a purpose for all the challenges you're facing? Who knows if you might get the chance to change someone's life by letting go of your fear and trusting God? Who knows? God knows. And it's not our job to find out all the answers. It's our job to listen and obey. It's our job to ignore the enemy who is constantly trying to talk us out of taking another step toward Christ. It's our job to be in our rightful, God-appointed place for such a time as this.

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