Are we truly thankful to be where we are, wherever that might be, right this moment? Do we have an awareness of the fact that the Lord has guided our steps to this time and this place for a specific and special purpose? I don’t know about you but I admit that I often lose sight of that fact and instead of walking in expectation and excitement of what God has planned for me I find myself just trying to muddle through and arrive at the end of the day in one piece.
Two different verses come to mind here, both of which I read on the same day as part of larger passages of scripture study. The first is found in Proverbs and says:
A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps Proverbs 16:9 (NKJV)
To me, this is very comforting and I can look back on times when I wasn’t where I needed to be in my walk with the Lord and still see how he guided my steps and brought me to the place where I am now. In other words, his love and divine plan for me were (and are) stronger than my rebellion and even in my darkest times God still had a plan to show me his redemptive power once I yielded myself to him and asked for his help and forgiveness.
God’s grace is at work for us even when we aren’t working for him and a life that is abundant and full is available to us if we are willing to put him first. God has the unique and remarkable ability to change our circumstances (and our hearts!) in a moment and what we perceive to be an impassable obstacle is just a speck of dust easily blown away in his sight.
The question then becomes, if God can change our circumstances in a moment why then does he allow us to go through such trials and difficulties and why does he sometimes leave us in turmoil for extended periods of time? For one answer to that, let’s look at our second verse for today:
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?” Esther 4:14 (NIV)
Esther was a simple Jewish girl who would have been an orphan except for the kindness and care of her older cousin Mordecai. They lived in Persia along with many other Jews at the time who were undergoing 70 years of exile as punishment for the sins of the nation of Israel. As a displaced ethnic minority and a girl with no parents Esther was by no means in an advantageous situation.
However God had blessed her with a beautiful appearance and she was soon taken into the King’s harem where she eventually impressed him so much that she became the Queen. During this time a plan was put into place to execute the Jews by an evil man who was close to the King and our verse of scripture is timed right after Mordecai and Esther learn of this plan being put into motion. Mordecai writes to Esther to appeal to the King and his appeal is based on his knowledge of God’s providential hand and a strong faith in God’s ability to deliver his people despite their circumstances. In other words Mordecai had every faith that God had placed Esther in her position as Queen to serve as an intermediary for her people and to save them from impending destruction.
If you know the story of Esther then you know that she was able to win the King’s favor despite the risk of her own life in appearing before the King without being summoned and that her courage and honesty were instrumental in the salvation of the Jews during this period of history.
Just as God used Esther, despite her situation and her circumstances, so too can he use us. Just as Esther was placed in her situation in a time of great crisis sometimes God wants to use us during times of danger and hardship. What we can’t forget is that the battle belongs to the Lord and if we are yielded to him then he can do amazing things through our willingness and availability.