For such a time as this…
After chatting with a friend earlier this week about Queen Esther I was inclined to spend time revisiting the book of Esther last night and I’m so glad I did! Queen Esther was such an amazing woman, she had brains and beauty but more importantly the heart of a woman who wanted to please God.
As a Jewish woman and the Queen of Persia, she was in a difficult situation having learned that her people would be killed. On top of that, her cousin/father figure Mordecai laid it on super thick implying that her destiny was to save them. Check out Esther 4:13-14 where Mordecai basically says to Queen Esther, “Oh, you can’t just sit back and watch all that’s going on and think that you’ll be saved. Whether you speak up or not, God’s will is going to be done. Could this be your calling? Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Wow! Can you imagine the thoughts that must have gone through her mind when Mordecai suggested that she save her people by going to the king, which was forbidden? I’m referring to those initial thoughts before we respond. I mean, even as a woman of God, I can certainly attest to those initial thoughts that aren’t always ‘Yes, God – Your will and not mine.’ I don’t know Queen Esther’s initial thoughts but her response in Esther 4:16 served as a reminder of the protocol: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king.”
As much as Queen Esther loved and respected Mordecai, she knew that before taking on such a task she needed to spend time with God and requested that those close to her do the same.
We have to be willing to do just what Esther did when faced with such a call on our lives which is to seek God by spending time with him and asking others to fast and pray with us as we await further guidance.