For Such A Time As This // Esther 4:14

Few verses present a vital truth about how God wants us to live our lives in the face of struggle and strife as today’s. The Book of Esther carries at least a PG-13 rating, but it points to some of the extraordinary lengths God went to save His chosen people. Esther had to steel herself in the face of existential fear to perform the role God needed from her. Though she was afraid, Mordecai encouraged her by saying she was there “for such a time as this.”

We all face scary, difficult times. Each generation must face and fight through generational evil. I have at times wished the struggles I faced weren’t necessary, but such is life. I love how J.R.R Tolkien depicted this in The Fellowship of the Ring from his masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. Check out this section that presents an exchange between Frodo the Hobbit and Gandalf the Wizard: “’I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.’”

All of us must face the turmoil of the time. This is true from Frodo to Esther to you and me. The best news is God is with us and equipping us for such a time as this. What will you do with the time that is given you? Will you step out and stand up for faith? Remember the words of Isaiah 7:9, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, then you will not stand at all.”