Such a Time as This (Friday Devotional)

 

“Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”

- Esther 4:14

All week long, the church has been abuzz with activity due to one of our biggest events of the year, the weeklong day camp known as Summer Musical Activities for Kids, or S.M.A.K. In addition to the usual features of such a camp—snacks, trips to the swimming pool, etc.—the kids have been learning a biblically based musical, “Malice in the Palace,” which they’ll present to their families and the church on Sunday night at 6:00 pm in our sanctuary (tell your friends!) Through songs and drama, the kids have been learning the story of Esther, the girl who became queen and saved her people.

The turning point of that story comes when Mordecai, Queen Esther’s cousin, comes to her with the news that the evil Haman is plotting to destroy their people. Only Esther, Mordecai explains, has the power to stop the plot through her proximity to the king. In making his plea, Mordecai muses to the new queen, “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”

We don’t always understand or even know what God is doing in between the lines of our lives. We wish he’d spell it out for us, that he’d reveal why things are going the way they’re going. We don’t just want to be participants in God’s plans, we want to be the architects of those plans—or at least sneak a peek at the blueprints.

But more often than not, we can only speculate about God’s purposes for us. Like Mordecai, the best we can offer in any moment is ‘perhaps.’

But even when we don’t understand, even when we’re just guessing what the grand plan is, we can be obedient. Esther didn’t know at first why God allowed her to become queen, but she knew she had to make the most of the opportunity. She didn’t know why the responsibility fell to her to save her people, but she knew she needed to be courageous and do what no one else could do.

“For such a time as this” has become a sort of evangelical shibboleth for so-called turning point moments in life, like the one Esther faced. But the truth is, faithfulness to God doesn’t require a dramatic moment of crisis, the kind that a stage play revolves around. Every time is a time to be faithful. And that includes such a time as this.