Meghan Kazmann, Member

Esther 4:14 (ESV)
For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?

Reflection:
When Mordecai says to Queen Esther that perhaps she has come to her “royal position for such a time as this,” she must have been terrified.  Her cousin, her trusted confidant, was basically declaring she was destined to risk her life to save her people.  While this might be the most pivotal moment in her life story it is how she got there that I find truly remarkable.  An exile and orphan at a young age, she was adopted and raised by her cousin. Choosing to keep her Jewish heritage a secret, she changed her name from Hadassah to Esther and was taken away from a life that she knew to wait in the King’s harem. Her beauty and humility caught the attention of King Xerxes and she would become his Queen.  From Jewish exile to Queen of Persia. This is quite the transformation!

Interestingly, there is no mention of God (not even once) in the Book of Esther.  But God’s purpose and presence behind the scenes in this scripture is undeniably clear.  When Queen Esther learns that all the Jews in the Kingdom will be massacred, she understands the potentially fatal consequence of foiling this plot.  She will have to reveal her identity as a Jew and tell her King what is about to take place.  This is particularly troublesome as anyone who entered the King’s presence without being summoned could be subject to death. 

4:16 ”… I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.

Queen Esther’s faith in God is revealed through her courage and obedience as she faces danger.  For three days she prays, fasts and waits.  Queen Esther, bold and brave; but also humble, quiet, and patient. She is scared but audacious. Though God is working in the background we see God do the extraordinary work of saving God’s people through Esther. While we may never have to risk everything for the deliverance of an entire generation, even when the stakes are at their highest, God is with us. God is with us as we move through each season of our lives.  God chooses to walk beside (or even carry!) each one of us as we face our “such-a-time-as-this” moments.

Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for blessing me every day.  Please help me to trust you as I walk through each season of life.  Help me to choose faithful obedience over fear each day as I am called to do the work of your Kingdom, just like Queen Esther, who was called for such a time as this. Amen.