Perhaps This is the Moment...

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives will die; what’s more, who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?” ~Esther 4:14 (TLB)

I have always loved the story of Esther because it shows how God uses unexpected people in unexpected places, however, I have recently been challenged by Esther’s courage and trust when faced with an opportunity to obey God.

When reading Esther’s story, I’ve always focused on the part of the 14th verse that says, “Who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?” (TLB). It has always been a great reminder that God has a plan for my life, however, recently as I reread Esther the Lord really convicted me about my obedience to His plan and His timing as compared to Esther’s obedience.

God showed me that so often I think about His plans in the context of when I get things together. For example, when I graduate or we I get married or when I have my finances in order. I think we often “postpone” opportunities because we feel unprepared or that we are not currently in the ideal situation. Yet when we get to verse 14 we find Esther in the midst of a crisis. She’s been taken captive, forced to live in a culture she didn’t agree with, hide her identity and now her people are literally in a life or death situation. But when Mordecai sends Esther a message asking her to speak out on behalf of the Jews he reminds her that THIS was her moment and I love Esther’s response. She doesn’t ask time to research the best approach or to wait for the King to be in a better mood. She doesn’t ask for someone older or wiser to approach the King on behalf of the Jews. Instead, she asks for prayer warriors and goes before the Lord herself. She moves because the Lord told her to move with the belief that the Lord would provide the necessary means and even if He didn’t (vs. 16) He was still in control.

Of course, we know from the rest of the book that the Lord allowed the King to show mercy to Esther and provided Esther with the means to save her people but what if she had waited? What if she had looked for someone else to help or to even partner with her? Would the outcome have been the same? Would we still know the story of a little Jewish girl named Hadassah who became a great queen or would Esther have lost the opportunity to be a part of God’s amazing plan? I honestly don’t know but I know that God created Esther for that time and that he has created you for this one.

Just because you don’t understand God’s timing or the things going on is your life doesn’t mean that you aren’t surrounded by opportunities to be a part of God’s amazing plan. Don’t wait until you have your life together or put something off because you don’t feel prepared. Ask the Lord why you’re in this moment and keep your eyes and heart open to see the spiritual opportunities before you. Who knows, maybe you’ve been created for such a time as this?