Today’s Reading:
“Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4: 14b).
Loss. Fear. Loneliness. These are a few of the emotions that come to mind as I ponder the ramifications that the coronavirus has had on my life and the lives of my friends and family. Some of you reading this may have lost your jobs, or even loved ones as a result of the virus. I often allow myself to become fearful considering the toll this disease has taken on our healthcare system, or how it may affect my parents. Finally, the loneliness related to social distancing seems unbearable some days, even for an introvert like myself.
In all of this COVID-19 chaos, the Lord has been comforting me through the character of Esther. A Jewish girl who lived in Persia during the reign of King Xerxes, Esther’s life suddenly changed due to circumstances completely beyond her control; she was brought to the royal palace to become part of King Xerxes’s harem. Like us, Esther experienced loss, fear, and loneliness as her friends were probably not as accessible and her religious customs were seemingly obliterated. In addition to all of Esther’s personal fears, her people, the Jews, were to be terminated by Haman, a noble in service of King Xerxes. Esther was faced with a grim ultimatum: she could watch her people be executed while she kept silent, or she could risk her life by going to the king without an invitation to plead for the lives of her people. As Esther labored in her decision, her cousin, Mordecai, posed the question, “Who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b).
Though the words of Mordecai were applied to Esther during a specific time in history, I believe that we too have been placed in this frightening, foreign time “for such a time as this.” In His omniscience, the Lord knew the time and dates that COVID-19 would occur, and in His wisdom has perfectly placed us in the middle of it to “shine as stars in the sky, blameless and pure” (Philippians 2:15). Let us not lose hope, brothers and sisters. I don’t know what the Lord has in store for us in our version of Esther’s story, but what I do know is that He has given us the opportunity to join Him in saving His people . . . our friends and neighbors who need a Savior, just like the Jews in Esther’s story. “Let us not grow weary in doing good, for in due season, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Prayer:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let me be like Esther, making the decision to cast fear aside and look to you though she did not know the outcome. Give us faith to help save your people in “such a time as this.”