For Such a Time as This
By Maureen Miller
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 royal position for such a time as this?
(Esther
4:14—NIV, 1988 edition)
Walking the writer’s path can be a
scary, even threatening endeavor.
Do our words matter?
Esther knew of such and teaches us
much. Orphaned, her Hebrew name was Hadassah, and she was raised by her cousin
Mordecai, a Jewish man in exile. Because he knew of the hardships that could
come to a Jew under King Xerxes’ authority, he instructed his adopted daughter
to keep silent about her heritage when she was taken to the palace as, quite
literally, a beauty queen contestant. Obediently, Esther remained quiet.
Asked what supplies she wanted when it
came her time to go before the king, Esther desired only what was recommended,
humbly acknowledging that another knew more than her about matters of outward
beauty. Humility served Esther well, and she was chosen, likely for the
character of her heart. Hence, she became Queen of Susa.
When an evil plot to destroy the Jews
was discovered by Mordecai, he urged Esther to go before her husband and plead
for her people. Though she understood death was the penalty for approaching the
king uninvited—apart, that is, from an extension of grace—she again chose to
act upon the words of her father, but not before three days of prayer and
fasting. Because Esther knew doing so would birth wisdom, bolster courage.
Afterward, she committed to boldly go before the king, stating, “And if I
perish, I perish.”
Esther displayed important qualities
that we, as Christian writers in an antagonistic world, would do well to
emulate.
She
was obedient.
She
was humble.
She practiced
spiritual disciplines to gain wisdom, glean courage.
She
was bold in proclaiming her message.
In short, Esther heeded her adopted daddy’s
words when Mordecai exhorted her, “And who knows but that you have come to
royal position for such a time as this?”
Her words turned the tide of impending
destruction. Indeed, her words changed the world.
So, too, our words. Directed by the
King of kings, our Abba Father, our Savior and our Guide, they have unlimited
potential. Supernatural power.
Yes, for such a time as this.
Kind Father, help us write and speak with courage—always! Amen.
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
Maureen Miller—wife, mother of three, and Mosie to two—lives on Selah Farm, a hobby homestead nestled in the mountains of western North Carolina. With a passion for God’s Word, Maureen is an award-winning author and photographer, contributing as a guest blogger and to several online devotion sites, as well as to a variety of collaboratives. She prays to have eyes and ears open that she might experience God in the miracles of His created world and blogs weekly about what He has to say at www.penningpansies.com. Her debut novel is under contract with Redemption Press.
Thank you Maureen for the reminder and motivation to keep going. When I see a comment or receive an email from a reader, I am satisfied that my words went to “one” and that one-not necessarily hundreds-.needed that, that day.
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