For Such a Time as This by Ann Wayne

Week 23--June 6-12
Scripture Reading: Nehemiah 1-13; Esther 1-6; Psalm 79-81

Key passage for devotion: Esther

 

"If you keep quiet at this time, someone else will help and save the Jewish people, but you and your father's family will all die. And who knows, you may have been chosen queen for just such a time as this."           
                                                              Esther 4:14*

Have you ever been in a situation where you were the only one in a group that had the answers to a difficult issue? You knew that sharing the details could cause a lot of problems with the person in question or possibly even put your position in jeopardy as a leader. You knew that you had a tough decision to make, but you trusted God enough to take a stand. Listening to God’s voice was the key to surviving the trial.

There was one young woman in the Bible who laid her life on the line to save her family and her people. Hadessah was an orphaned Jewish child raised in Persia by Mordecai, her cousin, after the death of her parents. When Cyrus gave permission for the exiles to return to Jerusalem, she stayed with Mordecai. Hadessah was devoted to him and obedient to his teachings.

She received the name of Esther when she entered the royal harem as queen. Esther was a person of faith, goodness, devotion and courage. She nurtured these characteristics, combining with them a sense of watchfulness. Her grace and beauty gave her favor among all those she came in contact with.

Esther was chosen by King Xerxes to replace the vacillating and adamant queen Vashti. He gave authority to Haman, his prime minister to kill all Jews in the Persian Empire. Haman called for this ruling because Mordecai refused to bow to him and Haman felt ridiculed and stripped of his authority.

In that day, it was not wise for anyone to go before the king without permission, not even the queen. Esther heard what was being planned and risked her life and position as queen to go before Xerxes on behalf of herself and her people. Mordecai said to Esther, “If you keep quiet at this time, someone else will help and save the Jewish people, but you and your father's family will all die. And who knows, you may have been chosen queen for just such a time as this." Esther 4:14*

She went before the King and asked him if he knew that his order to kill all the Jews would also extend to her since she was a Jew! When King Xerxes heard this, he let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman devised and wrote to destroy the Jews. Haman and his sons were hanged on the very same gallows that he had planned on using for Mordecai and the rest of the Jews.

Esther became an instrument for God. Because of her devotion and willingness to listen to the voice of God, she was able to prevent the devastation and destruction of her people. We too, can be instruments for God if we stay tuned in to Him by reading his Word, talking with him daily and listening for His voice through godly sources. In Matthew 13:9, Jesus says, “He who has ears, let him hear” and in Matthew 13:16, he says, “But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.” (NIV)

If we are willing to spend time with God and grow spiritually, we will know the right thing to do when faced with tough decisions. I pray that each of us will see through God’s eyes and not our own. May we hear His voice clearly as we seek His will for our lives.

*New Century Version

Ann enjoys women's ministry,  hosting groups at her retreat cabin, and writing. She loves being a grandmother, and she is planning to go on her first short term mission trip this fall (to Budapest, Hungary).