Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 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?” (Est 4:13-14)
Who knows? What a powerful thought experiment! God may not be mentioned in the Old Testament book of Esther, but it’s clear that Mordecai is speaking as a man of faith. “Relief and deliverance will come for the Jews from somewhere. Who knows, Esther, whether you have not been made Queen of the Medes and Persians for this purpose, at just the right time?”
Who knows? Could it be? Can’t we shine the same faith on the opportunities and blessings of our own time? Who knows whether…
You have not been given access to your own personal copy of the Bible … for such a time as this?
You have not overheard that coworker or fellow student wonder aloud about the meaning of life … for such a time as this?
You have not been given a social media microphone with the ability to freely share an eternity-shaping message … for such a time as this?
Who knows whether…
You have not been blessed materially far beyond your fundamental needs … for such a time as this?
You have not come to have an empty bedroom in your house … for such a time as this?
You have not been blessed with a car that can travel more quickly and conveniently than most generations of humanity could begin to imagine … for such a time as this?
Who knows whether…
You have not been born into a society with a wide range of freedoms … for such a time as this?
You have not grown up with access to unprecedented technological tools of connection and communication … for such a time as this?
You have not come to be a part of the community in which you live … for such a time as this?
Who knows whether…
You have not been blessed with the talent to write or speak or empathize or serve … for such a time as this?
You have not been brought through the heartbreaking, bewildering, terrifying storms of your past … for such a time as this?
You have not been sustained with the health you enjoy to this day … for such a time as this?
Who knows? Someone does, that’s for sure. Not one sparrow falls to the ground without his knowledge. He could tell you at this moment the exact number of hairs you have on your head. He is. He’s always been. He’s everywhere. He knows everything. He will always be. So don’t be afraid. Relief and deliverance will come. In his time, at just the right time. In the meantime, our obligations are pretty straightforward. Use our talents in his service. Make the best use of the time he’s provided. Do the next right thing.
Who knows whether you not have not been put right where you are–equipped in the ways you have been, now reminded of the examples of Mordecai and Esther–for such a time as this?