For Such A Time As This

“Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, ‘Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?’” (Esther 4:13-14)

For such a time as this was adhered on my roommate’s wall for several years. The decal served as unique wall décor until eventually melding into the subconscious parts of my mind. In time, the words surfaced in moments of anxiety, which kept me awake at night. They surrounded me when I walked into another shift at work disheartened with my position. They comforted me when I mourned the loss of my grandmother and treasured familiarity last Christmas season. The hope threaded into these six words grounded me to a grander purpose when I asked does it really have to be this way?

Accepting Christianity does not guarantee a life of ease. Of course, God is able to call us into seasons of life marked by joy and achievement. Though when you and I open ourselves to the will of God, we invite Him to displace our comfort for His glory.

Mordecai’s momentous comment is prefaced with the truth that God does not need us. Rather, He created us with the privilege to serve Him knowing it could cost us. In accordance to His will, “relief and deliverance will rise” whether or not Esther decides to leverage her role as queen.

Esther’s position calls to another Old Testament figure who ascended into a high-profile rank. Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, was sold as a slave by his brothers, lied about, wrongly imprisoned, and ultimately served as a trusted advisor to Pharaoh. When in a position to retaliate against the family that harmed him, he says, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept live, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20) 

For such a time as this, I am walking into a season that will be painful and difficult. But I will choose to make His name known.

For such a time as this, I will have a challenging conversation with a friend who is at the end of her rope. But my discomfort falls secondary to her need to hear of eternal hope. 

For such a time as this, I am obeying God’s call to serve a mission that is not for myself, but for others. 

By Bethany Taylor

Bethany has been calling Immanuel Baptist her church home since 2014. A graduate of the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, she is now an obstetric nurse here in Lexington.