For Such a Time as This

​Did you ever think that when God placed you on the earth, He may have done so for you to accomplish one specific purpose?  He planned the time and place that you would live.  (Acts 17:26)  He knew the circumstances that would surround you, the battles you would have to fight, and the thoughts that would go through your head.  Consider that His divine purpose for you includes plans to elevate you and bring you closer to Him as you pursue victory.  Perhaps you are in a battle right now and are facing a giant that seems impossible to defeat.  I always say, "The greatness of the call determines the fierceness of the battle."  Be conscious of the gifts you use to fight your battle, because through them God will reveal your destiny and will bring you into greater intimacy with Him.
 
Think of this:  One day and one person can change the world and the future.  When we tap into our destinies the power of heaven will come to earth to help us accomplish the goal that God has placed before us.  It is fitting that we read the story of Esther in this month.  It appears to me that she was a person that God sent to earth for one specific purpose:  to make the king of Persia happy so that He would join her in saving her people, the Jews.  Esther, along with her parents and cousin Mordecai, was part of the company of exiles brought to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar.  When Esther's parents died, she was adopted by Mordecai.  She was then selected to be part of the harem of King Xerxes of Persia at a time when a Jew hater named Haman, the kings highest official, was plotting to kill all the Jews in the empire.  Because of her beauty and sensitivity to the king's desires, Esther was crowned queen. Mordecai asked her to take advantage of her position and beg for the king's mercy for the Jews.  He posed this question: "Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14 - NLT)
 
Adar 13 was the date set by Haman to murder all the Jews in the Kingdom.  We are presently in the month of Adar, which means strength.  It is the last month on the Hebrew calendar and is associated with joy and a time of unexpected reversals.  It is a time for uncovering hidden truth.  I hope that these Adar characteristics give you hope as they do me.  We have a moment in time where we can participate in the transformation of our own nation.  God wants us to join in a prayer of unity for justice and righteousness to prevail in it.  Never doubt that our presence as Bible-believing, God-loving people who dispense the fruits of the Spirit to those around us can make a difference.  I believe that we are here "for such a time as this."  We are on assignment to use the gifts within us to carry out God's call on our lives.  Adar is the month to develop our war strategies against the enemy.  Doing so helps to stop our fears ad gives us the ability to move into the fullness of the next season.  The spiritual new year holds blessings for us.  Let's be joyful about who God made us to be as we pursue our identities in the Spirit.
 
We see the attributes of the month of Adar played out in the Feast of Purim that occurs in the middle of the month.  The enemy set a date for the destruction of the Jews, but God used a single Jewish girl, walking in her God-given destiny, to save her people and to transform that date into one of great joy and celebration.  For three days, Esther stirred up her courage and prepared for her meeting with the king by spending time in fasting and prayer.  Mordecai and the Jews of Susa joined her.  She demonstrated to the Lord that her relationship with Him was more important than anything else by dedicating these three days to pursuing His direction.  And, as she assured herself of God's faithfulness, she was able to prepare to go before King Xerxes without fear, saying, "And if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:16)
 
Of course, Esther did not perish!  The king extended his golden scepter to her, Haman's evil plan was exposed so that he and his family were destroyed, Mordecai was promoted, and the Jews transformed the focus of sunset on the 13th to sunset on the 15th of Adar to joy and celebration.  These days are called Purim because Haman originally set the date for the demise of the Jews by casting dice or "pur."  Even today Purim is celebrated by the Jews.  They recognize the importance of one day and one person placed on the earth "for such a time as this."  What is our holy purpose—the call of God on our lives?  Let us pursue Him, our Maker and Creator, and live out our God-given destinies.  Let us be the people God created us to be "for such a time as this."