For Such a Time as This

When Queen Esther got the news she was stunned. An edict of genocide against your race will do that. A nation-wide holocaust was scheduled, but she was powerless to do anything about it. Or so she thought.

She was a woman in a man’s world, a world with strict laws against interfering with government policies. She may have been called Queen, but barging into the imperial court was punishable by death. Asking questions about tyranny was equally off-limits. The women of the harem of the court of King Ahasuerus were pretty playthings in this no-nonsense political world. And the King had not called to play with her for over a month.

Like many of us, the first thing Esther saw in this crisis was her own powerlessness.


But her cousin Mordecai had the wits and wisdom to help her to see things differently. First, he was starkly candid about the danger she was in; then he asserted his conviction that Life would ultimately prevail over Villainy, even if she did nothing. “Relief and deliverance will arise from somewhere,” he said, “but you and your family will perish.” Then he posed the kicker question –

“and who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

The book of Esther opens a window onto the violence of the world where privileged people often abuse their power. This story is timeless because hatred and deceit sprout up everywhere across time zones and centuries. But so do courage and imagination. So does the element of the mystery in our lives. So much we don’t know; so much we can’t see, like future outcomes. We often can’t recognize purpose or potential in our circumstances.

Mordecai's challenge opens Esther's eyes to a see her world in new ways. Not with crystal clarity, but with the discernment of faith, with imagination and a deeper realism. Knowing what he knows of God and of life, Mordecai sees a convergence between circumstance and opportunity. "Maybe there's a plotline in your story that puts you here for a purpose, girl. Don’t miss your chance.”

Here was Esther’s moment to make a difference in the world. No guarantees and a world full of danger, this crisis called for imagination, faith and the courage to act. Esther named her fears and rose to the challenge. She did what she could with the little power she had. She risked everything and went to the king. Her courage and wisdom carried the day and saved her people and she is honored by Jews every year at Purim as a result.

But her spiritual legacy is universal, provoking us to ask ourselves if maybe we have come to where we are today for some purpose beyond the ease and privilege of finding the safest way home.

Image Sources:
Esther: Tektonics
Esther Going to the King: Millais 1865