For such a time as this

Esther 4:14 (NKJV)

For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

What delightful a tale of a villain and a heroine which grips and delights with irony. Esther is the beautiful Jewish girl who becomes Queen of Persia during after the exile of the Jews. In her position, she risks destruction herself as she saves the Jews from annihilation by a wicked man named Haman.

I love the implication of that question that Mordacai asks Esther when she wavered momentarily in her complacency "Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Can this apply to us in our everyday lives? Sitting next to a stranger on an airplane, is it just random chance or is it God directing your steps? If it is the former, I can justify taking a nap and never bothering with striking a conversation with that person. If it is the latter, how can I not but take the opportunity to witness to that person about the escape from eternal hell that God offers through faith in Jesus Christ.

What about the abundant wealth you have been blessed with or the position of influence you have been placed in? What is your responsibility when needy and desperate situations cross your path?

I might say, that taking such a view on every opportunity to do good along life's path is a risky proposition. I might be rejected; I might be hurt; I might waste money. Certainly I should be wise and a good steward of my time and resources. However I love Esther's response:

Esther 4:16 (NKJV)

"If I perish, I perish!"