God's Providential Timing

The book of Esther tells a story of love, sacrifice, and God's providential timing. Being a Jew in exile, Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, second in command to King Ahasuerus. Haman because furious and plotted to destroy Mordecai and all the Jews (Esther 3:1-6).

So Haman deceived the king and persuaded him to issue an edict condemning the Jews to death (Esther 3:8-15). When Mordecai told his cousin Queen Esther about the edict, he urged her to intervene.

He told her:

"Who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).

Esther was walking a tightrope, because approaching the king uninvited was punishable by death (Esther 4:11). But not thinking of herself, Esther seized the moment to save her people (Esther 7:1-10; Esther 8:1-17).

Dear reader, when we are able to rescue others from sin, we should do so at all costs. Let's ask God for His direction and then act, for He may have providentially placed us in a situation "for such a time as this" (cf. Acts 8:26-40).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets