For a time such as this

Written by Jennifer Hoyt

Who knows whether you’ve come to the kingdom for such a time as this? - Esther 4:14
Sometimes embracing difficulty and challenges is a tough pill to swallow. We struggle with the obstacles before us and with our heart before God. We are in a rush for God to remove those obstacles, and we get upset when that doesn’t instantly happen. Today, I want to encourage you that as Christians; we don't have insulation from trouble, but we definitely have recourse. If you’re going through a struggle, I’d like to challenge you to look beyond the surface and see with a fresh perspective. Discover not only God’s heart in its midst but also the steps you can to take to accomplish His will and see victory.
In the biblical tale of Esther, we encounter a remarkable story of courage and divine intervention. Esther, a humble Jewish girl, finds herself thrust into the role of queen of Persia after the deposed Queen Vashti’s fall from favor. When a plot to annihilate her people arises, Esther’s cousin Mordecai urges her to intercede with the king, despite the grave risks involved. Esther bravely approaches the king unsummoned, and through a series of strategic moves, she unveils the villainous schemes of Haman and secures the safety of her people. In a twist of fate, Haman meets his own demise on the very gallows he prepared for Mordecai, while Esther and Mordecai rise to positions of power, becoming protectors of their people.
The above-written is a nice recap for the overall story of Esther, but if we dive a little deeper into the nuance, we learn Esther has quite a challenge in front of her. She has to get the king to spare her cousin and the entire Jewish people. Not a simple task, especially if we consider the risks. She not only became queen after the former queen fell from grace, something one can imagine she’d like to avoid, but to make matters worse, in the time she lived in, no one could approach the king, on penalty of death, unless they were summoned. Esther had not been summoned. Mordecai warns Esther, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”
Esther agrees to take on this task, but first she fasts, prays and asks Mordecai to have the people join her. Then she enters the king’s presence, un-summoned. Not only does the king spare her, but he promises to grant her request. She requests to have him come to her chambers for dinner, which he obliges. She asks him to dinner a second time, all while being promised whatever she will ask for. During the second dinner, Esther reveals all. She is a Jew. Haman is plotting to kill her cousin and her people. Not only does the king take her part, but he even hangs Haman on the gallows that Haman built for Mordecai, and then promotes Mordecai to become the prime minister of the king.
I want us to take a few keys from Esther. First key, Esther makes a choice to be obedient. She could have gotten caught up in the trouble and focused on the risk, but she makes a choice to obey and then turns her attention to God. Second key, Esther goes to God. We must decide to obey and then go to God. Third key, God gives Esther a strategy. God will give us a strategy, but, like Esther, it will most likely be out of our comfort zone. <==== friend, read that again! We are going to be pushed outside of our comfort zone! Fourth key, Esther is courageous and despite being outside of her comfort zone, she trusts! If there is anything we can take from Esther, it’s a demonstration of how trusting God, results in victory!
Esther's story reminds us that sometimes extraordinary circumstances place us in a position to stand up for what is right and make a difference in the world around us. God has called us to a purpose amidst our struggles. Struggles suck. No argument there, but we can find comfort in the fact that God accompanies us in walking through them. He offers us His spirit to comfort and direct us, so that we might then become an encouragement to others.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5