For Such A Time As This

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "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?" ~Esther 4:13-14 (ESV)

In our often routine and mundane lives, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that God has each of His children exactly where He wants us. Even when we stray from His perfect plan for us, He will use us wherever we are so His purposes are fulfilled (Proverbs 16:9).

So if you question your relevance and worth in God's kingdom, remember the story of Esther. She could have easily done what was easiest and most convenient for her, but God had placed her in a position of influence for a reason--to save His chosen people. Now her story is forever immortalized in the pages of God's Word.

Throughout the Bible we see evidence of God using people to fulfill His purposes. Joseph endured slavery and wrongful imprisonment so he could save the lives of many people. Moses, raised in the courts of Pharaoh and then subjected to the rigors of desert living, became God's tool and weapon against the mighty nation of Egypt and led God's chosen people to the Promised Land. A simple fisherman by the name of Peter, who three times denied Jesus, became a fisher of men. And the list could go on and on...

My prayer is that God would open our eyes so we can see how our lives fit into His perfect and worldwide plan--that we can know He has placed us here and now, for "such a time as this."