How To Own Your Right Now
The most quoted words in Esther reads like a desperate plea mixed with thinly veiled reprimand:
“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 4:14
For such a time as this.
It’s these words that seem to evoke a response in humanity. I see it all the time on Pinterest wall hangings. It’s the title to Bible Studies and sermons. These words are everywhere.
Why? Do we crave that kind of drama? Do we like to be forced to the brink of decision?
Or is it something more?
For me, I think the concept of being made for a specific moment in time, space, and history resonates deep in my being. I love the idea that I am here on purpose, that God made me exactly for my right now.
Although that seems to falter quite a bit when my circumstances turn poor.
It may be a bad day or week or year at work. Or I might get some terrible news about someone I know - sickness, death, loss, rejection - it all comes. Or maybe I am just in a time of personal suffering, where I don’t know what to do or where God is in it all.
It is then I begin to question my place and time in the world. Why me? Why now? Why this? And I lose sight of the idea that I am here on purpose, that God made me exactly for my right now.
In fact what I would rather do is abandon my right now and run in the opposite direction towards anything else. The last thing I want is to be made “for such a time is this”.
It’s a similar narrative that we see laid out in the book of Esther. Our favorite Persian Queen / Secret Jewess starts out as the prize choice of King Xerxes. She is chosen to be his wife, and we can imagine she enters a world of power, opulence, and drama.
But in chapter 4, we learn some time had passed, and Esther’s novelty had worn off (verse 11). She more than likely spent time shut up in the palace, separated from the king, powerless without his “ok”.
And it is here when Esther has settled in and where she feels the most comfortable, that she gets rocked by some terrible news.
In Esther 3 and 4, we become privy to a plot to destroy all the Jews, a genocide that would wipe out the whole ethnic group. We watch in 4:5-9 as Esther learns of the plot through her adopted father Mordecai.
In the thick of this devastating news, we can imagine Esther felt many things - hopelessness, helplessness, fear, rage, etc. And if she was anything like me, she probably wanted to hide or run very far away.
We see some of the turmoil within Esther in verse 11.
“All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”
Esther hasn’t been summoned by the king in a month, and to go to him without being summoned meant death. Therefore, if she was to act on behalf of the Jews, it could cost her everything.
It is in this swirl of emotion that Mordecai speaks Truth and gives wise counsel to his daughter - the same words that resonate deeply from the book of Esther to all humanity.
“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 4:14
Mordecai pleads with Esther to use her position to save her people. He poses the question: what if you were made queen for this moment in history? What if you are our only hope?
Immediately I think yes! Esther! This is your moment, girl! Obviously you were chosen by King Xerxes so that one day you could save all of Israel.
But the clarity I have for Esther needs to translate to my own circumstances. When life hits me hard, I need to look in the mirror and ask, “Did God not put you here and now for such a time as this?”
This kingdom-minded, purposeful perspective gives a godly filter to whatever comes my way. It makes me better able to tackle what comes, and I ask “what’s next?” instead of hiding or running.
Honestly, asking this question of myself is a wakeup call. It was one for Esther too.
So what should be next if we embrace the idea that we were created for this moment, whatever it looks like?
Let’s look once again at Esther.
The first thing she does is listen to the wise counsel of Mordecai which centered her and gave her direction.
I can find wise counsel many places - the Word of God, the direction of the Holy Spirit, mentors, friends, family members, etc. Once I acknowledge and truly listen to the counsel that comes my way, there are three tests I see from this passage that can help me weigh its wisdom.
1 - Wise counsel speaks the plain truth. If I look back at 4:14, Mordecai doesn’t mince his words, he doesn’t waffle or sugarcoat, and he doesn’t placate Esther. He is straightforward. Wise counsel doesn’t have to be mean or unemotional, but ultimately it has to be truthful.
2 - Wise counsel always reminds us of God’s character and His promises. Mordecai knows the character of God, and he tells Esther that God will protect His people just as He had promised. Reminders about God help focus my heart and mind on our Savior, and it takes my eyes off of my circumstances, whether good or bad. Wise counsel must always point me to my Lord and Savior.
3 - Wise counsel pushes us to obedience. After Mordecai laid out everything to Esther, he simply pointed out that she was in a position to help. He knew God had orchestrated Esther’s queenship, and his question was a nudge for her to step out and save her people. Wise counsel should guide me to obey what God asks me to do, even when it is hard.
Hearing Mordecai’s wise counsel must have been hard for Esther, but it worked out for her good!
I see her take it to heart in the rest of the book. She fasts and seeks God on her own (4:16), and she plans out a strategy to create a moment to appeal to the king, (4:16-5:8). Then in the latter chapters, we see her appeal to the king, be heard, and, as a result, save her people from their deaths (It truly is an incredible story - check out our study Esther: For Such a Time as This if your curiosity is peaked!).
When I look at my moments here on earth as an opportunity to serve God, great things can happen. I stop wallowing in the “whys” and “what ifs”. I don’t question God’s sovereignty or faithfulness. I don’t compare my right now to anyone else’s.
Instead I own my moments, my right now, whatever it looks like. Ownership is incredibly empowering. It pushes me to be “all in”, ready to listen to wise counsel, ready to act in obedience, ready to do God’s will - just like my girl Esther.
Amy Bufkin has loved Jesus for as long as she can remember. Even though she basically lived at her local church growing up, her faith and relationship with The Lord was incredibly shallow until her early twenties. It was then Amy learned how to study her Bible, began to truly commune with God, and her shallow faith began to deepen as she got to know her Lord and Savior. Now her passion is to communicate the same truths that changed her life to young women in as many ways as possible. You can find her on Instagram | Facebook