I was confused by the book of Esther until I began to read it the same way I read a Shakespearean play like Macbeth or Hamlet … except, because it’s Scripture, I look and listen for God’s voice. This short book gives us palace intrigue, banquets, villains, and heroes, but tucked in the middle is one of the most powerful lines in all of Scripture. When Queen Esther hesitates to risk her life by approaching King Xerxes, her cousin Mordecai sends a message:
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
Those words hit hard on Esther’s heart. She wasn’t planning on being a queen who saved her people. She didn’t sign up to be the heroine of the story. In fact, until then, she had managed to keep her Jewish identity hidden, flying under the radar for self-protection. She lived in dangerous times, as a woman and as a member of a minority group. But now, the fate of her people rested on her willingness to step forward.
“For such a time as this.”
We aren’t royalty (well, at least I know I’m not), but those words reach into our everyday lives. What if the places in which we find ourselves – the neighborhoods we live in, the jobs we work, the families we belong to, the churches we attend – aren’t accidents? What if God has put us precisely where we are for purposes we can’t always see?
It’s tempting to think that God works mainly through big, dramatic callings: missionaries overseas, pastors on platforms, charismatic men and women with a social media presence, and leaders in history books. But the truth is, God’s work in our world more often than not plays out in quiet, ordinary faithfulness. We expect God to show up in the extraordinary, but he does his best work in the ordinary. The truth throughout history is that God often works in one person at a time to reach one person at a time.
Your “such a time as this” moment may look like:
offering a listening ear to a friend who’s hurting,
standing up for someone overlooked,
praying for a coworker who drives you crazy,
or choosing integrity when no one’s watching.
Esther’s courage began with a simple “yes” to God’s call, even when it scared her, and even when her preference was to stay hidden where she felt safe.
Maybe God is nudging you right now toward your own moment “such as this.” You may not save a nation, but you could bless a neighbor. You may not write a law, but you could speak truth into a conversation. You may not wear a crown, but you can still carry Christ’s love. (And, FYI, Jesus promises that if we are faithful now, the crown will be ours someday).
Who knows? Perhaps you are exactly where you are—at your desk, in your kitchen, on your street, in your church—for such a time as this.
Prayer: Lord, thank you that you place me where I am on purpose. Give me courage to say “yes” when you call, and faith to believe you are at work in the ordinary moments of my life. Amen.
