You Were Created for Such a Time as This!

My Bible reading today was the story of Esther. If I’m really honest, Esther is my favorite book in the Bible. It is the story of an underdog rising to greatness! It’s also the story behind the Jewish celebration of Purim, which commemorates the miraculous deliverance of the Jewish people from a plot to destroy them.

This is the way the story goes…

Esther, the heroine, was a young Jewish orphan raised by her cousin Mordecai. I’m sure her early life had its share of difficulties. But everything changed the day the king decided he needed a new queen.

With suggestions from his advisors, the king gathered all the beautiful young women in the kingdom. Esther was among them. After spending a night with her, the king chose Esther to be his new queen. Everything seemed to be changing for her.

However, unbeknownst to Esther, an enemy of the Jewish people had become a trusted friend of the king. He convinced the king to set a date to destroy all the Jewish people in the kingdom. Without knowing that his new queen was Jewish, the king signed the decree.

Esther’s fairy-tale life suddenly appeared to be coming to an end. Not only would her friends, relatives, and her entire people be destroyed, but she would be in danger, too.

Her cousin Mordecai sent word to her and told her that she must go before the king and plead for her people. And then he said something that would become one of the most memorable statements in the Bible:

“And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” — Esther 4:14 (KJV). In other words, Mordacai was saying, “Perhaps you were created, for such a time as this.”

The story of Esther turned out beautifully. After fasting, and asking her people to fast with her, Esther found the courage to go before the king. She risked her life to speak up for her people. The king ultimately reversed the decree, and the evil man who had plotted against the Jews was destroyed.

The outcome could have been so different had Esther not recognized the importance of Mordecai’s words. Perhaps she had been placed exactly where she was for such a time as this.

Sometimes things in this life look scary. It seems like every day the headlines present something I never imagined I would see in my lifetime.

But maybe our job isn’t to live in fear. Maybe it’s to recognize that perhaps we, too, were created for such a time as this.

God has a plan for your life that only YOU can fulfill. Esther didn’t know what her future held when she was growing up an orphan. She certainly didn’t know that one day she would be in a position to save an entire nation.

But God knew.

Just as Esther became the unlikely hero of the story of Purim, you are the hero of your story, too!

Regardless of your age, regardless of your circumstances, and regardless of what you believe your limitations or inabilities might be, you were created for such a time as this.

You are not here by accident. Your life has purpose. Your voice matters. And there are things you can do that nobody else can do quite like you.

So don’t spend your days wishing you were someone else or waiting until you think you’re good enough, old enough, young enough, or capable enough.

Perhaps this is your time.

Esther didn’t know what God was preparing her for, but God already knew. And perhaps that’s something we all need to remember. You may not know what God has planned for your life, but He does. Perhaps YOU were created for just such a time as this!

Love ya!

Robin