FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS

Have you ever thought that right where you are, right now, you could be used by God?

For a long time, I didn’t.

I’ve lived in a small town my whole life, and since I was in high school I’ve been trying to escape. I went off to college for four years, taught English in Spain for nine months, and then found myself back at my parent’s house--right where I didn’t want to be.

I thought I needed to go to grad school, to live on mission, to move to a larger city so I could be used by God. I thought that the bravest people were the ones who went across the world to do “big” important things.

Sometimes, I think the bravest thing is to change those around you, right where you are.

Queen Esther had to learn this too.

Esther was a Jewish woman, whose people had been exiled from their homeland. She became queen through a series of fortunate events. While she was living in exile, a man named Haman hated her people so much that he got the king to declare genocide against all of the Jews.

In Esther 4:13-14, her cousin Mordecai is speaking to her when he says, “Do not think because you are in the king’s house you alone of all of 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 royal position for such a time as this?”

Mordecai knew that God is sovereign, and that He can use anyone to accomplish His purposes, but he encouraged Esther to use her royal position to free her people and ask the king for amnesty.

Although this event happened thousands of years ago, it relates to us today too.

Although we may not have royal power to stop a mass genocide, we have the ability to change the lives of those around us by loving them and telling them about God’s power.

We were called for such a time as this.

Exactly where we are at.

- Soquel Filice