For Such a Time as This

Let me tell you a story…

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, there lived a king, King Xerxes. He was very, very wealthy and had a beautiful queen, Queen Vashti.

He once threw a party that lasted 180 days where he feasted with all the key officials in his kingdom, and immediately after that he threw another huge banquet that included everyone else, from the least to the greatest. King Xerxes knew how to party! Queen Vashti threw her own party for the women of the palace.

On the 7th day of the festivities, King Xerxes summoned Queen Vashti to his party so he could show off her infinite beauty. Queen Vashti refused to come. The king was enraged and immediately stripped her of her crown.

But the king needed a queen, so he had his people search for the most beautiful virgin in all the land. All the eligible women were brought to the palace and underwent beauty treatments for a full year. (Sign me up for that!)

When they had completed their lavish treatments, one by one the women were paraded in front of King Xerxes. One of the women stood out, a girl by the name of Esther. She was exceptionally beautiful and was instantly crowned the new queen.

Enter Haman, the evil villain who wanted to destroy Esther’s people, who happened to be Jews. Esther had hidden her heritage from the king because Jews were hated by everyone. Her cousin, Mordecai, who raised Esther as his own child when her parents died, was a high official in the king’s palace, and earlier he had uncovered a plot to kill the king. Mordecai came to the rescue again when he learned of a plot schemed up by the evil Haman to kill all the Jews in the entire kingdom. This Haman was BAD news!

Mordecai tells Esther of the plot and speaks these words to his adopted daughter:

“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.”

Esther 4:14 (NIV)

Queen Esther combines careful planning with prayer, asks all Jews to pray with her, and then risks her life by going before the king without being summoned, an act punishable by death. Her beauty overwhelms the king, and he holds out his gold scepter to her, the signal that she is allowed to approach the mighty king. Queen Esther reveals the heinous plot to kill all of her people, including herself, gets Haman killed, and saves the entire Jewish nation.

And everyone lives happily ever after! Well, not really, but it is an amazing story that happens to be true. You can read it in the book of Esther. I invite you to check out the entire story because it reads like a wonderful suspense novel!

But what can we learn from Esther? Why have we included her in our heroes of the faith series?

Esther was brave, put others above herself, and used her beauty for the glory of God. Her beauty was her “special sauce,” her gift from God. It’s what got her to the palace in the first place; and Esther trusted and believed that she was, indeed, put in the palace “for such a time as this.”

So what’s the takeaway for us? None of us probably feel as beautiful as she is described as being, so what’s our “special sauce?” Do we even have one?

To that I say a resounding yes! Each of us has a unique, God-given purpose, and I don’t believe any of us are in the place we are in right here, right now, by accident. God has placed all of us in positions where we can be used. We simply have to be willing to be obedient and willing to take risks.

Perhaps you raised a child with special needs, and now you have the opportunity to encourage a young mom in your neighborhood struggling to deal with their own special needs child…for such a time as this.

Perhaps you have felt the sting of divorce and your co-worker shares with you her heart-wrenching story of devastation and betrayal…for such a time as this.

Perhaps you’ve felt the shackles of addiction and have broken free and you recognize the hidden signs of substance abuse in a friend…for such a time as this.

God uses our gifts and abilities and, most of all, our experiences to help others. You have a unique "special sauce," and you are in the exact position He wants you to be. So don’t ignore the nudges in your spirit to use your gifts, share your experiences, and take the risks He is asking you to take to help and encourage others.

Who knows, maybe YOU, my sweet friend, were created “for such a time as this!”

Love and hugs,

Jill