For Such a Time as This

I love the story of Esther, a woman of obscurity who was orphaned and raised by her cousin Mordecai, and who was beautiful inside and out. In a wildly misogynistic culture she is chosen from thousands of other women after a year of beauty treatments to be the new queen of the Persian empire, replacing a disobedient wife.

Esther’s story is a story of exile - exiled in the palace away from her Jewish people, exiled from the narcissistic king who would only see her when he chose and could go a month at a time without talking to her, exiled from her people’s homeland and culture. When the king’s top official, Haman, demands worship and Mordecai refuses, Haman’s law decreeing the annihilation of the Jews puts into motion Esther rising up with courage to plead for and protect her people. Mordecai convinces her that perhaps she has been put into the position of queen “for such a time as this” to save them.

Commentators note that God isn’t specifically mentioned anywhere in the book of Esther and yet, as I heard Max Lucado say recently, God’s fingerprints are all over the story. Esther trusts in God despite God’s seeming absence, and asks Mordecai to instruct the Jews to spend three days in prayer and fasting. She seeks God’s wisdom and guidance and is obedient, even to the point of facing death for approaching the king uninvited. She takes the time to find a solution through God’s timing and leading. And she is successful. While not all of her people are saved in the attempted genocide, most are as they are given permission to defend themselves. Her courage saves her people.

This pandemic has raised up leaders from obscurity and called on us to notice what is happening and to protect our people. Last week’s national day of Truth and Reconciliation was to be a time of reflection to consider the genocide experienced by Indigenous Peoples in Canada. They had few Esthers and a colonial church and government seeking to assimilate them into what was deemed a more evolved culture. Greta Thunberg continues to be a bold activist as she rises up to challenge world leaders and unite people in the fight against climate disaster.

For those of us called to be Esthers, in large and small contexts, there is very real and difficult work to be done. Often these are matters of life and death, justice and mercy. And while it may be tempting to jump in feet first, sounding the alarm, we would do well to continue to follow Esther’s example. We are called to not only model action but prayer and fasting, seeking to listen deeply and discern God’s direction to us.

As the pandemic continues, as social justice issues abound, and as we consider what being Christian means in our culture, may we take the time to pray and to fast from what distracts us from the voice of God. May we be willing to put God first and our lives in service to those God loves and to the One who saves us.