February 11 I Sunday

Leviticus 11-12

Matthew 26:1-25

“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  —Esther 4:14

Esther’s story is an incredible chapter in Jewish history. After King Xerxes of Persia banished his previous wife, he selected Esther from many candidates to be his new queen. Her uncle Mordecai uncovered a plot by the evil Haman to annihilate the Jews throughout the Persian Empire. At his urging, Esther risked her life by appearing before the king unsummoned, but Xerxes received her favourably. She then strategically revealed Haman’s plot to the king, after which he had Haman executed and gave Mordecai and Esther permission to write their own decree. This prepared the Jews for the impending attack and saved them from annihilation.

Esther was understandably frightened when Mordecai first suggested she petition the king on behalf of the Jews, but his response to her is powerful: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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 4:13-14). Mordecai fully believed God would deliver His people from their enemies regardless of Esther’s decision, but he also believed God had made Esther queen for this precise time so she could be her people’s deliverer.

The incredible thing about the book of Esther is that while God is never mentioned by name, His sovereign hand can be seen all over the book. Everything happens so that Esther is put in exactly the right place at exactly the right time, but we can imagine Esther did not feel that way while these events occurred. In our work for God, we too may wonder what He is doing because we are continually facing trials and obstacles, but we must not think God absent or idle. He sees a much bigger picture than we do, and though we may not feel His presence or see signs of His working, Esther’s story shows how God is constantly orchestrating events to prepare us for “such a time as this.”

When faced with a crisis, the wisest thing we can do is trust God. He knows what He is doing and His plans for us are intricately connected to His plans for the world. Though we may not be privy to an end result, we can rest assured our Sovereign Lord is working to bring His plan for us to its glorious culmination. Whether on earth or in heaven, all the pieces will fall in place, but in the meantime, we have the privilege and blessing of playing a role in God’s plan for the world. 

Prayer: Father God, You are the great orchestrator of all You call us to do. Thank You for preparing me, and for being sufficient in overcoming any obstacles I may face. Thank You, Lord.