The Unseen Hand of God in Our LivesSample

You May Be The Person For Such A Time As This

Chapter 4 takes up the setting at the end of chapter 3: the king and Haman are happily drinking while Susa is bewildered, and the focus narrows (initially) to one man, Mordecai

In this chapter, we find that Mordecai’s faith, which was hidden so far, now gets activated. In verse 1, we read that when Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly mourning and weeping. Mordecai leads all the Jews in an act of public mourning, displaying grief and emotion.

Mordecai now comes out into the open, showing himself to everyone as a Jew. Remember that faith is an internal conviction that leads to an external action. Faith is not just what you believe, it’s how you behave. Sometimes you can really tell who has faith by what they do. Does your actions show what you believe?

Hathach, who was a eunuch in the kingdom, plays an important role here, too. We do not know anything else about him, even though he is not aware he is used by God to accomplish His purposes. Mordecai does not just give Hathach a statement of the imminent danger of the Jews, but he trusts him and gives details, which are very specific, substantiating his claim by explaining the "price on the head" of the Jewish race and the written decree to carry out the deadly deed

When Mordecai told Hathach to tell the queen to ask for mercy “for her people,” he divulged to him the fact that Esther was a Jewess.

Hathach would never have realized what an important part he was playing in God’s plan to defeat Haman and save the Jews. So often God uses obscure people to accomplish important tasks.

In verse 14, we read of Mordecai challenging Esther: “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?"

Mordecai was saying, essentially, what Joseph said to his brothers in Genesis 45:5: "God sent me before you to preserve life"-

This is one of the most spoken verses in the book. This appears to be a turning point for Esther now, to reveal her faith.

Mordecai points out that all of the previous circumstances of Esther’s life that led her to the Persian throne may all have been just for this moment when she can intercede for her people. He tries to get her to understand the unseen working of God in her life.

When life-threatening illness strikes, or when you are faced with the choice between compromise and losing your job, or when someone you love abandons you, do you live out the theology you proclaim? Do you remind yourselves that God is in control of all things and has promised to work all things together for His glory and your good? These are the defining moments that both uncover and shape who we are at our deepest levels

You may be a Mordecai or a Hathach or an Esther, for such a time as this.

Quote: “As great doors can swing upon small hinges, so great events can turn upon the deeds of “small” and sometimes anonymous people.” – Warren Wiersbe

Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You allow difficult situations to come into my life that help me determine my faith in You. Help me to pass, and not fail, the test. Amen