For Such a Time as This

Hadassah, better known as Esther, was a young woman, a Jew who lived in the kingdom of Xerxes in Persia. She was quite ordinary until she happened to be entered into a beauty contest for the title of Queen, which she won. She then became an "undercover agent" a Jew in the palace of the Persian King in whose kingdom some of the Jews were exiled, her nationality unknown to anyone in the palace, and eventually the vessel used by God to save her people from being annihilated in the land of the Medes and the Persians.

One of the most interesting things about her story was that she had her cousin Mordecai guiding her throughout this entire process and she continued to seek his counsel and obey him even after she became queen (Esther 2:20). That is to say, Hadassah stayed connected to her people even as she was isolated from them in the palace, which helped her keep her connection to her God. 

One of the most striking things about this young woman was her choice not to remain silent when her people were threatened, even though she could have gotten away with doing just that. I'm sure that many of you have read the story of Esther and you know how she approached the King in order to save the Jews from Haman's plot to get rid of them. This was a risk to her life because she approached the King without being summoned and could have been put to death if he was not pleased to see her.

So what can we learn from her?

• God strategically positions us in places of influence. Sometimes we don't know why until our appointed time. (See Esther 4:14; Eccl 3:1,17; Jer 29:11; Eph 5:15-16)

• There are people placed in our lives to guide us, but these people can only take us up to a point. After that, it is up to each person to make that all-important, life-changing decision. (See Esther 4:15-16; Esther 5:1-2)

• Even when we know it's our time we still must seek God before taking action, making sure that we have his approval, his favour. (See Esther 4:16; Psalm 27:4-5,8)

• We must be patient. Sometimes victory is a process. Once she realised what she had to do, Hadassah took time to prepare for her moment. She didn't just rush to the King with her request. (See Esther 5:1-8; Phil 3:13-14)

• In everything, God is still in control and His favour supplements the actions of His people. (See Phil 2:13, Romans 8:28)

Just a reminder: Sometimes God picks the randomest people to do the most significant things. Don't be surprised to find out that you are where you are right now for such a time as this.

Be blessed and shine consistently!

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