Here for a Purpose
“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
Not only are we all born, but we are all born into a particular time and place. With that time and place comes a social, political, and cultural context, along with a religious need and most importantly, a section of God's redemptive story. As a result, none of us can remain idle or indifferent to the time and place in which we exist. For example, Esther was born into a culture of Exile, but also placed in a position of power and influence. On top of that, her background, her position of power, and the influence she carried with her made her a prime candidate to help in God's redemptive story. She was in a position to save many Jews from being exterminated within the Persian empire. Although many of us may never carry the position or influence that Esther had, or face the dire circumstances she faced, every single one of us who are born again into Christ are born into the history of Christ's redemption. God will accomplish his purposes with or without us, but why would we pass up on the opportunity to make an eternal impact and serve what God is doing in the world? We were all born with a particular context and we have the amazing choice to be used by God in that context or to be passed over. What is it that God is calling you to? What part of his story is he asking you to play? We may find it difficult to follow God in all circumstances and it may seem that ignoring his call is the safer bet. And to the world, it may be. But we will all write a story with our lives in the end, and all of those stories will eventually end with our deaths. Since we will all end up the same, it seems to make more sense to at least write a good story with our lives. God's story of redemption is the greatest narrative in the world and beyond. I choose to be a part of his story, do you?
Lord Jesus, give us the strength to answer your call and live in accordance with time and culture you placed us in. Give us courage and faith to take part in your redemption!