If you keep silent at this time, liberation and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.     Esther 4:14 HCSB

I can’t even imagine what it must have been like for young Esther. Her parents had died, and she had been raised by her cousin Mordecai. They were taken captive by the Babylonians along with many other Jews. I always like to point out that during this time of captivity, God took good care of those who remained faithful to Him. In Esther’s case, she became queen and was greatly favored by the king.

An evil man named Haman had convinced the king to kill all of the Jews because he was angry at Mordecai for not bowing down to him. Haman tricked the king into signing an order to kill all the Jews.

Mordecai went to Esther and asked her to appeal to the king.  This was a very scary thing because even though she was queen, she couldn’t just waltz into the king and make this kind of demand. She had to get permission to enter his court. She could be killed just for asking the king to reconsider this order.

In our Scripture passage, her cousin, Mordecai is telling her that God will accomplish this even if he has to use someone else but that she may be destroyed. He finishes up with, “Who knows perhaps you came into your royal position for a time such as this.”

God puts us where He needs us. He has things for us to accomplish. He will accomplish his will with or without or help. But should we refuse, it won’t be good for us.

Charles Spurgeon did a sermon on this particular passage. He pointed out that because Esther had the king’s favor, she might have escaped the massacre of the Jews, but she would have spent the rest of her life with the pain and guilt of knowing that she did nothing to even try to save her people.

He pointed out that God can accomplish His will without us, but we will bear the disgrace when we allow golden opportunities to pass us by.

God created each and every one of us with a purpose in mind. He has a job for us to do. We each have a specific calling on our life. You can answer that calling or you can let it pass by the choice is yours. When you are called to do something difficult, I encourage you to remember this young Jewish girl who had lost her parents, been taken into captivity, and become queen. Think about the fear she must have experienced when her cousin proposed this idea to her. Think about the courage it took for her to approach the king. And then ask yourself if perhaps you were made for a time such as this. Perhaps God brought you to where you are to accomplish His will.

Will you answer the call? Or will you just allow your golden opportunity to pass by? God will accomplish His will with or without you. His plans won’t suffer. You will suffer, however, if you don’t allow God to use you for the purpose for which you were created.

Romans 8:28 gives us a beautiful promise. It says, “For all things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.” This promise is a conditional promise that tells us if we love the Lord with all our heart and do the work He calls us to do, that He will work all things for our good. He did just that for Esther and Mordecai. I encourage you to read the entire book of Esther. It is only 10 short chapters and it’s a beautiful story of how God takes care of us even during really difficult times.

He has a job for you to do. Maybe you have been through a really hard time. Perhaps you were called to go through that, trust in God’s will and God’s timing for you.

Oh, and just a little advice. When Esther was faced with this difficult task, she prayed and fasted and called for all the Jews to do the same. If you are called to do something difficult prayer and fasting is a good place to start.

Have a great day!