Such a Time as This
I first began blogging in college at a site I called "Esther." The pseudonym was inspired by the Biblical character of the same name, whose story I've been enamored with since early high school. It had all the drama and regal theming that appealed to me during that life stage—a tale of a young girl plucked from obscurity, who wins the heart of a king, then uses her position to rescue her people during a time of need. I adopted a verse from her narrative as a sort of personal theme: "But who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
The idea that God places each of us in a specific place with divine purpose is a powerful sentiment, and this slightly obscure example of that just happens to look good framed in swirly script on a princess themed bedroom.
When I came to LA, the words felt especially poignant. I had no idea why God would want me to move here, and yet I felt compelled to come. So I set my eyes to the West Coast and asked of myself regularly, "Could this be the reason God has brought me here?"
Through the years, I continue to come back to the story of Esther for inspiration. I admire Esther's bravery (and Vashti's, too, for that matter) as well as her loyalty to her family. From the world's perspective, she doesn't have much to offer besides her pretty face, but she listens to wise counsel and acts faithfully. She's certainly not perfect, but in many moments, her story has given me pause, as I reflect on how I want to live.
This week, though, Esther's story came to mind for some different reasons. The recent events in Charlottesville got me thinking about the context of this verse. It is actually part of a plea from her Uncle Mordecai in which he reveals to Esther a looming plot of Jewish genocide. This is his full message to her:
"Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 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?"
One day, the Bible tells us, followers of Jesus will stand before God as a sea of exquisite diversity. Revelation offers a picture of God's kingdom, and it includes "a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" (Revelation 7:9). And though I long for that day, when the heartache of this world is healed, examples of racial hatred are an all-too-painful reminder that we are not there yet.
With that in mind, Mordecai's challenge to Esther is relevant for us too. We can either keep silent when these events occur or we can speak boldly about God's plan of redemption in the gospel. Let us not mince words: God is in the process of repairing the brokenness in our world. He calls those of us who follow him to participate in his rescue plan, and while I am often curious about what exactly that looks like on the ground, I am confident that it involves standing up for truth.
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. —2 Timothy 2:24-26