A Time Such As This

The book, The Taming of the Queen, by Philippa Gregory, is a historical fiction account of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII.

She was “chosen” by King Henry VIII for marriage, although she was in love with someone else and was only one of two wives who weren’t murdered by the king. She became Regent, the most important person in England, survived almost certain death when the king was upset, and faced and defeated Papist supporters who wanted the Catholic Church returned to England. What amazes me most is her tenacious fight, regardless of the cost, to be part of a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe. A movement that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church, and in particular, to papal authority to become what we know now as the Protestant Reformation.

Josh Hotsenpiller taught through the story of Gideon this past weekend in Judges 6 and 7. Gideon had an extraordinary measure of faith through difficulty. Similar to Catherine Parr, Gideon needed God’s hand to save him and the Israelites.

Today, I want to look at someone else who was called by God to take extraordinary measures of faith, Esther. Orphaned and exiled to Babylon, Esther was raised by her cousin, Mordecai.  Persian King Xerxes was married to Queen Vashti, and through a series of events and her refusal to obey, he commanded the removal of Queen Vashti from the throne. A beauty contest was held throughout the kingdom and a queen would be selected from the harem. (During this time, Esther never revealed her ethnicity.) She gained the affection of the king and became Queen. “And the king loved Esther more than any of the other young women…” (Esther 2:17).

After becoming queen, Haman (one of the king’s advisors) set out to kill the Jews living in Babylon. Haman despised Mordecai, so he convinced the king of his plan, and a decree was written. The Jews’ only hope was in Queen Esther and her willingness to risk her life to save them. Esther was the only one who could get close enough to stand before the king and plead on behalf of the Jews. Mordecai says to her:

“Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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 4:13-14

Esther knew the punishment for anyone who entered the king’s presence without being summoned. She’d be sentenced to death, unless the king chose to hold out his scepter and offer his pardon. With odds stacked against her, Esther knew what she had to do. She called on her people to pray and fast. Then she went to the King Xerxes:

When he saw Queen Esther standing there in the inner court, he welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her… Then the king asked her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What is your request? I will give it to you, even if it is half the kingdom!"

- Esther 5:2-3

Rather than hiding, Queen Esther asked for God’s help! She knew she might lose her life, but rather than minimizing her worth, she maximized her strength and had Mordecai gather the Jews to fast and pray!

Friends, what are you hiding from? A difficult conversation, taking a bold risk to start a new career, or get help for a troubled marriage? Maybe you’re feeling unworthy of God’s help with your situation. TODAY I’m asking you to step out in faith, to believe God that He will help you and desires the BEST for your life!

Let’s believe together that He has chosen you “for such a time as this!”

Pastor Pam

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