You Were Born for Such a Time as This
"Perhaps you were born for such a time as this." Esther 4:14
Who remembers the story of Esther? It's really a hard one to forget. But to jog your memory, the King chooses Esther out of all the women to be Queen unknowing that she was a Jew. “The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him"(2:17)
The story of Esther is one of my favorites. She uses her influence, courage, and intelligence to save her people. I remember when my husband and I were serving as interim youth pastors at our church. I completed a Bible study on Esther with the girls, and we dug deep into the story and what it meant to be her.
And I love the verse which basically says, "Esther, you were born for such a time as this." I believe she was. The story demonstrates God's love and sovereignty. At a time when Jews were being exiled, persecuted and killed, God planted her inside the castle as a secret weapon. She won over the King and ultimately preserved her bloodline.
How in the world did she do this? At first, Esther didn't want to go when all the girls in the kingdom were summoned by the King. She begged her cousin, "Please don't make me." But in the end, Esther was obedient. She wanted to please her cousin, who had authority over her, and follow his instructions.
At first, she prayed that the King wouldn't choose her. She was terrified of being queen. It seemed like too much. But her cousin gave her words of wisdom, "Esther, you mustn't pray for just what you want but for what God wants." I can't fathom the amount of pressure and stress she must have felt as she carried out this larger than life purpose
I started thinking about all the people who were born at "the right time." What if Michaelangelo had been born one hundred years earlier. Art was not important or appreciated then. But he lived through the Renaissance, and is still revered as one of the greatest artists of all time.
Michaelangelo's David
What if J.J. Thompson hadn't discovered the electron some twenty years before Einstein was born? Would Einstein have had the building blocks necessary to form the Theory of Relativity? I don't know. Maybe, maybe not.
Albert Einstein
I sometimes think about all the local musicians I know able to self-publish music. Not just good music, but great music. If they were born fifty years ago, would anyone have ever heard their music?
If not for my blog and social media outlets, would anyone see my writing, my heart's cry? I think of myself and having this wonderful thing call the internet where I can pick a part my life and pound out my fears leaving a little with each reader in hopes of encouraging someone or making someone feel less alone.
You see, God doesn't make mistakes. In Jeremiah 1:5, God says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Granted, God was talking to Jeremiah in this verse; however, he knows us all before we are knitted together in the womb. He has a purpose for our lives, a destiny.
Sometimes purpose is fulfilled one small act of obedience at a time. Our purpose has to be bigger than our own wants. Just like Esther, she knew becoming queen was about something more than a position in the kingdom.
Most people have dreams. Dreams keep us motivated, and they keep us pressing forward. They keep hope alive inside of us, yet how many of those dreams point back to Jesus?
At the end of the day, it's not about our profit and loss statement, how much money we made, what sales looked like for the year, what car we drove, what vacation we took, how many followers we had on social media, or where our kids went to school. I don't believe God will ask about those things when we meet him in heaven.
But I can hear him asking me, "Child, how many people did you share my love with? How many people did you show my son to? You were born for the time in which you lived. I gave you all the resources you needed to win people to me. Did you use your time and energy to advance my kingdom?"
Of course, God knows the answers to all of those questions, but I believe I will give an account to him. This is why I can speak freely for him and about him. He has done too much for me to be intimidated by what people may or may not think about me for sharing my heart.
I was born for such a time as this!
And so were you, friend. So were you.
Father, thank you for thinking of me. Thank you for creating me and breathing your life into me so that I may live. Thank you for planning the precise time for me to enter this world so that I may make a difference for you. Thank you for not making mistakes. And thank you for correcting me when I make mistakes. Thank you for gently pushing me back on your path. Thank you for an abundant life filled with your favor and blessing. May I never take for granted all that you have done for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
