“For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14
Looking back on my life, I see how God used people to bring the Gospel to me—a grandmother moving into my home when I was a small child, and an older lady who knocked on my door and invited me to Sunday school. People who, every day, were doing what they were called to do—going out and proclaiming the Gospel to a needy world. From the world’s eyes they were not important. Nevertheless, God called and they answered. Maybe it was that smile as someone helped me learn my lines for a Christmas program, or the bus driver who picked me up every week and drove me to Sunday school. God was calling them for “such a time as this” to plant the seed of the Gospel in my heart. I am sure it was not always easy, and maybe, at times, they were out of their comfort zones, but God called and they answered.
Esther was a young girl when she became queen. She had no previous training for being a representative of her people, and her new, high-profile position was out of her comfort zone. She understood that she was placed in that position “for such a time as this,” to save her people from annihilation. A wrong move on her part could have cost her life, but with much prayer and fasting, she stepped out for God and went before the king, preserving the nation of Israel.
As Christians, probably all of us have felt called to do something that was out of our comfort zones. Every day God brings opportunities our way: the grocery clerk and the stranger in line behind us, and other individuals we see throughout the day. It is “for such a time as this” that God put us where we find ourselves today. Much prayer is needed to step forward and to plant the seed of Jesus’ love in the hearts of those around us, but when we determine to obey, the Lord will bless our efforts.
There is a saying: “You may be the only Bible someone reads.” Let us maintain a Christian walk every day so that those reading our lives may receive a seed that will grow in their hearts.