For such a time as this...

These words have been running through my head a lot the past few days. They come from part of a verse in the book of Esther:

"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 (ESV)

The context is that the Jews are being threatened by an evil dude and Esther has been made queen. Her uncle asks her to go to the king and plead their case. Esther is afraid because if you show up uninvited and the king doesn't grant you mercy, you get killed. The words in verse 14 are those that her uncle relay to her - essentially saying, "Look, we're going to get delivered. You can be part of it or not. Don't you think it's possible that you were put here and now for a reason?"

For such a time as this...

Reading through the Bible shows us that our lives are intentional. God planned the days of our lives before we were even formed (Psalm 139:16). He has plans for us (Jeremiah 29:11). He has given us gifts to share within the body of Christ (see 1 Corinthians 12).

Knowing this makes the words, "for such a time as this..." so much deeper to me. Where I am - my job, my church, my group of friends, my interests, everything - was given to me "for such a time as this..."

This helps me sit in the tension of waiting on God. Knowing my life is on purpose, and I was planned for here and now, is comforting. It means I can trust God's timing - and in this moment I am sitting in my calling. Even though I am currently looking toward something specific (counseling), I can be present where I am, wait as the Lord sees fit, and still be able to serve the Lord in deep and meaningful ways right now. God is in the process not just the end result.

I was made - as were you - for such a time as this...