What may your “for such a time as this” be?

Purpose. Plan. Reason. Something greater than just ourself, or beyond this very moment.

We want to know that we have a purpose. That there is a plan of some kind. That a reason exists. We want to know that there is something beyond this moment in our life…that there is something greater that we are a part of or are working toward. Deep down, we want to know we are moving toward something bigger, better, greater in the future beyond this moment in our life. That there is a purpose.

But it is easy to get stuck in the moment. It is easy to only see where we are and not keep looking toward the future…looking for a greater purpose beyond the now. Living “in the moment” is often more comfortable because it doesn’t require change, or for us to take any chances, or for us to look ahead into the future which is unknown. It’s a risk…whether it’s a good or bad outcome, it still involves risk.

In the book of Esther, we see her face this very same kind of thing. A moment in her life where she had to decide if she was going to stay in the moment and not take any risk, or if she would see a greater plan and purpose for herself and thus take a risk to move toward an unknown future.

In chapter 4, she is presented with a challenge to do something. Something that would help a lot of people, but also something that could be very dangerous and even life-threatening to herself. I’m sure she was worried and afraid of how it would play out should she take the risk. She was definitely aware of the danger, enough to bring it up in a conversation she was having about what to do in this situation.

…FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS…

Esther had been placed into a very unique position during this time. She was in a place where she could do something in this situation that no one else could do. Yes, there were risks involved, and she knew it. But she also had an opportunity to do something in this particular situation that no one else could do.

During the conversation in chapter 4, after she shares the risks involved, she receives a very powerful challenge. In verse 14, Mordecai says to her “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”.

For such a time as this. Mordecai was challenging her to see beyond the risk, to realize she had a purpose for being in the place and situation she was in. A purpose beyond the moment, a purpose that was even bigger than the risk involved.

If you have read the full story, then you know how it turns out (and if you haven’t read it, you should). She took the risk, and as a result saved a lot of people. It turned out that where she was in that moment was in fact for a purpose, and she didn’t let fear keep her from accomplishing that purpose.

What about you? What about me? What could be our “for such a time as this”?

We can easily get bogged down in a particular moment or time in life. Whether it’s a good moment or a bad one. It’s easy to let fear keep us from considering what’s next, how or where to move forward, and what the purpose of this moment may be with regards to the future. If we are in a good moment, we don’t want it to end. If we are in a bad moment, we can be afraid that it may only get harder or worse if we try to move forward. Either way, it’s the fear of what is unknown in the future…the potential risks involved…that can keep us from moving forward.

But what if our present moment has a purpose. A purpose that is greater than this moment. A purpose that calls us to do something beyond ourself, or to be a part of something bigger. That maybe we are in this moment “for such a time as this”.

What if ‘the now’ of our life is for a reason which is beyond just right now? What if ‘the now’ is preparing us for something still to come? What if where we are now, good or bad, gives us the ability and opportunity to do something bigger, something beyond ourselves? What if everything that is in our life, wherever we are and whatever situations we find ourselves in, is for a reason?

Perhaps, just perhaps, the places and situations we find ourselves in have a purpose. A greater purpose than just this moment, and even possibly for more than just ourselves.

There will always be risks in moving forward into the future, in being willing to not just sit in the present. Both good and bad, there is risk involved. But we can’t allow ourselves to let the risks keep us from being willing to move into what may be next. If we allow our fear of the risk to hold us back, we are a hostage to that fear. And we will thus be missing out on what God is using our present to prepare us for, as well as being a part of that purpose coming to fruition in the future.

You have a purpose. God has a plan for you. He has you where you are, when you are, for a reason. Just like he had Esther in a specific place at a specific time for a specific reason, he also has you in a place and time for a reason.

Look to see what God may be doing in you and wants to do through you, and be willing to act on it.