Why we need not wait for some ‘big moment’ for God to use us

By Dean Collins

Maybe it’s not “for such a time as this” but rather “for such times as these”!

Usually when we hear a sermon or story from the book of Esther, we focus on what has been often quoted as the key verse: “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 ‭4:14‬ ‭ESV).‬‬

We know how this moment played out. Esther didn’t keep silent. She found her courage, justice was served, the Jewish people were saved, and the world was changed forever.

Multiple moments

But as I read through the first couple of chapters of Esther, it dawned on me that there were multiple important moments ahead of Esther’s big moment. If we just wait around and hope that God will use us in a dramatic for-such-a-time-as-this event, we will likely miss lots of good and important moments. And in the long run, our unwillingness to allow God to work in and through us in such moments might have negative implications for others and for us.

Consider chapter 1 of the Esther story. The Babylonians thought they were the kings of the hill until Persia knocked them off. The Persian king was basking in his glory and decided to show off for all his leaders for about six months. Then he hosted a big party for his friends and basically the town and let the wine and spirits flow. When his wife refused to go along with some of the king’s plan, he banished her. The advisors held a beauty pageant to find him a new trophy wife. And Esther was selected.

Numerous decisions, events, wars, and arguments were the backdrop that made it possible for Esther to become queen. But I assure you that one, five, or 10 years earlier, no one had written Esther’s name in the strategic plan for saving all the Jewish people from their planned execution. Only God can arrange moments like that.

Mordecai’s wisdom

Remember that a few decades earlier many Jews were carried away from Jerusalem when Nebuchadnezzar was king. One man named Mordecai, or probably one of his ancestors, was one of those relocated. His extended family also were exiled. Somehow in all of this, a young girl named Hadassah (Esther) ended up orphaned. Her parents died, and her uncle Mordecai raised her.

We don’t know all of the details, but everything we read tells us Mordecai was filled with the wisdom of God. The evidence is the numerous and brave decisions he made that resulted in Esther being selected. Mordecai’s love for his niece and determination to help and protect her, along with his willingness to be a good citizen and pay attention to what was happening at the city gate, led to Esther’s big moment.

What God sees

God can see much farther down the road than any of us can. He knows the obstacles and roadblocks. He realizes the enemy’s strategy. And he looks around to see whose heart is completely devoted to him. When God's eyes fall on us trusting him and leaning on his strength and seeking his will, then God leans in. The results are always his, and no one can see them ahead of time. But when we see them we can and must praise him and celebrate his goodness to us and to others.

The support we get from God in our moment of great difficulty is always leveraged by God to bless and support other people. And often we have no idea who, when, why, or where.

Our job in every moment

So you may not even realize you are in the middle of a such-a-time-as-this moment. God might just be using you in what seems to be an insignificant task to change the trajectory of someone’s life. Our actions may lead to the salvation of someone, the healing of another, the financial blessing for someone else, and even the restoration of a community. Our job is to stay in the moment with humility and courage and then look back and see what God did because we surrendered to him.

Your time with God’s Word
Esther‬ ‭2:5-11; 4:13-14; 2 Chronicles 16:9‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by JÉSHOOTS at pexels.com

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