God Chooses You

“For if you (Esther) 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 4:14

Being chosen for the team feels really great.  Being chosen for a difficult job feels ominous and terrifying.  When my father was looking for a stem cell transplant donor, none of his 11 siblings was a good match.  Three of the four of his children were adequate matches.  Dad chose which one of us would be the donor, which was both an honor and terrifying.  The response was, “Yes.  Of course, whatever you need.” Unfortunately, the transplant was unsuccessful and he died five months afterwards.  That was very painful and difficult to endure.

The story of Esther reminds me a little of that scenario.  There are many difficult and terrifying situations in the story.  Although God’s name is never spoken in the book, Esther is placed in a position of power. Her uncle, Mordecai, asks her the all-important question, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”  I truly believe that God is at work even when we don’t give God the credit or the glory.  I have seen God work in the most unlikely of situations.  And even though our prayers for physical healing were not answered in a successful stem-cell transplant for my father, a different type of healing occurred through God’s grace and presence.

God doesn’t need us, but God chooses to do the work of building His Kingdom on earth through us.  God chooses you and me as ambassadors of reconciliation.  God chooses you as examples of love and peace.  God chooses you for such a time as this to bring the kingdom of heaven on earth.  Thy kingdom come, Lord.  Thy will be done, Lord.  On earth as it is in heaven.  Through our lives, through our hearts and through our work.  Amen.

God knows you.  God loves you.  God hears you.  God forgives you.
God comforts you.  God chooses you.  You are treasured.

O God, our guide and help in alien and contentious places: as Esther prayed faithfully and worked courageously for the deliverance of your people, strengthen us to confront the oppressor and free the oppressed, so that all people may know the justice and unity of your realm. Amen