For Such a Time as This

Long ago in the days of the Persian Empire a young Jewish girl named Hadassah, whose parents had died, was being raised by her relative, Mordecai.

It came about that the King was displeased with his Queen when she refused the king's command to parade before his drunken banquet guests. So she was banished forever from the king's presence and stripped of her position as Queen.

A search was made and lots of young women were taken from their homes to be groomed as the new prospective Queen. Hadassah, whom we know as Esther, was taken and sent to the royal court. Here she was taught and dressed and made-up so that she might appeal to the King. Eventually, Esther was the one chosen as the new Queen.

Then jealousy and arrogance and hatred overtook the life of one man, who was an official in the King's court, so much so that he got a law passed to exterminate all the Jews. Mordecai sent word to Esther that she needed to do something to help her people. Even though no one knew she was a Jew and even though she was Queen, Mordecai told her she would not escape death.

Then he said to her, "And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this." Esther 4:14. Mordecai was telling Queen Esther that maybe the reason you are Queen is to save your people.

Those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ have also "come to the kingdom". Not a political kingdom but the kingdom of God. We are where we are on purpose, with a purpose. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10. (my emphasis)

It's not just the people we read about in the Bible that are used to fulfill God's purposes. As long as we are still breathing on this earth, and until Jesus returns for His bride, and until God declares an end of all time, God's purpose for this world and for us as individuals is not over. He has placed us where we are in our families and our jobs and our schools and with the resources we have so that we might do the good works He has for us to do. Rather than looking for more or different as we often do, we need to be looking right here, right now for God's work to do. And when our purpose here and now is completed, He will move us on to more and different. WE are here for such a time as this.