SCRIPTURE: ESTHER 4:14

We know that God has already won and that we are seeing everything play out according to His plan, His will. Even though we see tremendous pain, suffering, and darkness around us, we take heart because we know that God works everything out for good (Ephesians 1:11). In the midst of things, it can be easy to forget that we all play different parts in His ultimate victory. Sometimes we think we have no influence, no talents, no voice, or no place in His game plan. If you’re thinking these things, it's because you’ve let the whispers of the evil one distort the identity you have in Christ. God is always looking for His children who are willing to submit their will to Him so that He can use them to be reflections of the Light of His Son. We have spheres of influence everywhere: friend groups, work, school, church, neighborhoods, etc.

In ancient Persia, after the Babylonian captivity, King Xerxes was unaware of the evil schemes of one of his highest officials named Haman. Haman concocted a plan to annihilate the Jews in Persia. Esther, who was crowned queen because she had won favor from the king, was Jewish but no one knew. Esther’s position with the king was no accident, she was in the perfect place at just the right time and God used her to save the Jews from mass genocide. In contemplation of what she should do in retaliation, Mordecai (Esther’s cousin) replied “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:13-14). God placed Esther in a position of royalty and admiration with the king so that she could be used as an instrument for His victory to squash the evil one’s plans.

God wants to use brave, committed, and obedient men and women every day. We need to pay attention to the way He wants to use us in our circles of influence. Come what may, no matter the task He sets for us, He will use us for such a time as this if we are alert and ready.