Known with a Risk Moments with God, Vol. 175
Known with a Risk1
And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Esther 4:14
A British royal wedding captured the attention of many Americans, causing them to wake up bleary-eyed in the early-morning hours to watch Lady Diana Spencer marry the Prince of Wales. The wedding took place on July 29, 1981, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral in London. White garden roses adorned the church, where the doors were thrown open for guests. Dressed in coat and tails and the finest dresses, gathering nobility waited to make their entrance. Perched atop each head was a hat, and for some of the women the choice was a fascinator, a small headpiece adorned with feathers, beads, or flowers. Horses clip-clopped through the crowded street, pulling the glass coach on its way to the church. Elegance graced every part of the beautiful bride as Lady Diana stepped from the coach and entered the church to become a princess. Commoners crowded every road and passageway, looking on as history unfolded.
Esther, herself a commoner—in fact, a Jew, one of God’s chosen people—gathered with a group of beautiful young virgins, of which one would be selected to be the next queen. By God’s divine plan, Esther was chosen, and Mordecai, her uncle, stayed close to the castle. In doing so, one day Mordecai heard of a plot to take the king’s life and reported it, so the king was saved.
A few brief verses share this part of the story and almost seem out of place with the story of Esther as a whole. However, God uses all things.
Next, Haman was elevated to a position of highest authority by the king, and all the royal officials knelt to pay homage to him. However, Mordecai would not kneel. Because Mordecai would not pay homage by kneeling, Haman wanted to destroy not only Mordecai but all the Jewish people. How quickly the day changed for the people as they learned of the edict of the king, designed by Haman, that would bring about their destruction.
With God, though, there is always hope, even when it seems there isn’t.
So life became hard for Queen Esther. In making her aware of the edict, Mordecai asked her to go before the king and beg his favor. Queen Esther knew her circumstances. She could lose her life simply for going before the king without being summoned. She reminded Mordecai of the risk, but Mordecai reminded her of the greater risk.
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?” (Esther 4:13–14)
Even if Queen Esther did not take this risk, her life would still be in jeopardy when the edict was fulfilled. She would die in the end. Her refusal would not keep the Lord from His purpose; deliverance would come. But Queen Esther would miss out on the blessing of being used by God for His people. She knew her God and the love He had for His people. While God could find another way, He had changed Esther’s position from a commoner to a queen for this time. God opened this door for Esther for such a time as this.
God gives each of us opportunities; however, if we choose to not be used in His plan, He will find someone who is willing. God’s plan for us sometimes involves known risk, and we don’t always see the unknown opportunities that may arise from the risk. Sometimes the difficulty we experience causes us to seek understanding and cry out, How long? Trust comes in knowing we are where God needs us to be to fulfill the purpose He has created us to fulfill.
God sees all things and only asks us to trust Him for such a time as this.