For Such A Time As This

For if you remain silent at this time, relief

and deliverance for the Jews will arise from

another place, but you and your father’s

family will perish. And who knows but that

you have come to royal position for such a

time as this?

                                  Esther 4:14 NIV 

     The Bible tells us that the LORD knows when we sit and stand, when we go out and when we lie down, the words we speak before we speak them and that He sees us yet unformed in our mother’s womb ordaining our days before one of them comes to be. (Psalm 139)

     Esther’s uncle Mordecai reminded Queen Esther that what he was asking her to do could be what she had been born to do. Although it could cost her life, she could be the one destined to save her people, the Jews, from annihilation. Esther told Mordecai to have all the Jews in Susa fast for three days then she would go in and stand before King Xerxes. Uninvited by the King, Esther would enter his presence and wait to see if he extended his golden scepter. If he reached out to her, she would live. If he did not, she would die.

     Few of us will be placed in Esther’s position. However, we daily face decisions that can make a difference in our world. As society continues to avalanche towards godlessness we have our own decisions to make—decisions that could make life uncomfortable and dangerous.

     Today we continue to stand face to face with anti-God leadership in the workplace, the government and society in general. While our military chaplains are refused the right to pray aloud in the name of Jesus and our business owners are forced to play the political correctness game or lose their ability to operate their companies, many Christians padlock their lips in fear of being seen as anti-something!

     Perhaps you will be challenged to stand for Christ today. Serving God can sometimes mean that we risk our comfort and our own security. But God has a purpose for each circumstance in which He places us. We need to be ready to unreservedly say yes to God.

     Pray, plan and present yourself to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords as an obedient servant willing to fulfill the destiny God has for your life. You and I were not born into this generation by accident. Never forget—no matter how bad things seem, we were born for such a time as this!

© Joyce Powell