three Wise Women
Esther
Wednesday, January 24
Waiting on Help
Esther 4: 13-14
13 Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”
It is our security and comfort that might be the biggest challenge to overcome regarding making a risky or God-sized decision. Esther had a choice to make. Mordecai clarifies her role. Esther must speak, for she will not find safety just because she is in a palace. It is her choice, but Mordecai believes that even if Esther is silent, redemption will still come.
While it is an interesting opportunity for Esther, and it is part of her story, I want to think about Mordecai for a moment. He stands in a curious tension. He has faith that God can use Esther for “such a time as this”. But even if his plan or what he hopes to happen will not come to pass, his hope is not discouraged.
Throughout our lives we have Mordecai’s who speak to our lives at just the right time. They invite us to do the right thing and to make the right choice. But they also can serve as an example for us for what faith is like. I’ve heard faith described as not just believing that God can, but believing that God will. This is a little bit like Mordecai’s faith. While he is pleading with Esther, he trusts that God will still find a way.
In "such a time as this" that we are living in now, what choices do you need to make? Are you living in the tension of waiting for help but standing in hope?
Prayer
Lord, for such a time as this, you've called me. Amen