“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou father’s house shall be destroyed:  and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?“  Esther 4:14

This is the bold guidance that Mordecai gave his cousin, Esther, a young Jewish woman, who because of her beauty and grace was elevated to the position of queen to the powerful King Xerxes I of Persia.  Some time later, King Xerxes was deceived into condemning all of the Jews to death in a vengeful act by his second-in-command, Haman.  Mordecai was able to convince Esther that she must act.  Queen Esther put her own life at risk by requesting an audience with the King without being summoned by him.  Her courageous act saved a whole nation. 

Unlike Esther, most of us have not achieved the status of “royalty.“  If you’re anything like me, you are far from it!  But we can be like Esther and realize that we have been born in this place (wherever that may be) and at this time for a “Kingdom“ purpose.  Not one of us was born by luck, chance or even by mistake--as a few of us may have heard about our births in hushed whispers from time to time.  God is sovereign.  He does not make mistakes!  Not once in all the recordings of the Bible, is there one instance where God has snapped His fingers and claimed, “Wow, I really messed that one up!”

That’s not to say that He’s never disappointed, angry and sometimes even sad at the choices we make.  But even in our bad decisions and our wrong choices, we have a God who is forgiving and who still calls us “for such a time as this.” 

As He was forming us in our mother’s womb, He planted a very special seed in each of us.  Its imprint was marked with “this time” and “this place” to do “this work” for His Kingdom.  While there is certainty around “this time” and “this place”, I dare say that there are a few of us for which “this work” is still a mystery.  We just aren’t quite sure of what work God has called us to.  It’s the fortunate few who have true clarity and certainty of that purpose.

For those of us who don’t fall into that category, we can take comfort in knowing that we belong to a God who

• Is full of patience and slow to anger
• Loves us unconditionally in spite of our imperfections and failures
• Is strongest when we are at our weakest
• Is the Truth, the Light, the Way and the Living Word  

What more could we ask?

In closing, whisper this prayer in the coming days:

My Loving and Generous Creator,

Thank you for blessing and equipping me with all that I need to do what you’ve called me to do for Your Kingdom for such a time as this.  Let me see things not from an earthly view, Father, but from Your Heavenly perspective.  Give me the wisdom and understanding from on High to respond as Your Son and my Savior would.  Bless me with the guidance of Your Holy Spirit to accompany me and guide my every move every second of the day. Amen

Walk in the promises of our Creator and produce abundantly!  Please visit MyFirstChapter.com and be God’s ambassador to spread the word!   

Blessings in great abundance,

Shelia Benskin