Timing and Opportunity!

Timing and Opportunity!

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 4:14 NIV

The Inspiration:

There is a divine mix of oppourtunity and timing that today's verse lays emphasis on. Here was a young orphan lady, now under the care of her uncle. To make matters worse, she and her uncle were taken as captives of war and relocated to a strange country. It became interesting that a queen, who understood she reigned as queen only as long as the king wanted, decided to rebel, and she was deposed. A competition was held to appoint a new queen, and the king chose this orphan, called Esther. Talk about divine arrangements. Just like Joseph, adversity is a good platform for God to rearrange things to favour His own children who have come to trust Him completely with their lives. As I strive to make impact on the earth where I have been placed, do I know the purpose behind my placement? Am I content to just take each day as it comes with no preparation or planning for all the opportunities God will bring my way?

The Contention:

Together with her entire race, this new queen was targeted by a man called Haman, who used his influence with the king to order the total annihilation of the Jews. The queen could have stayed silent; after all, she was the queen and would be protected by the king's guards. The last people who tried to kill the king were hanged. However, her uncle had a different view, as laid out in today's verse. There is a time to be silent, but there is also a time when silence is criminal. It is important to understand the times and seasons that God has brought me to. There is a particular action that suits the particular time, and if I miss the right action, there may never be an opportunity to make it right or to have the right outcomes. There is a need to understand what God is doing per time, so I can key into it and be relevant for whatever He wants to achieve at the time. Am I striving to understand the demands of the times and seasons that God has brought me to?

The Conclusion:

The last part of the verse above is instructive: God places men and women in different positions at different times and under different circumstances because He needs something to be done. Mordecai and Esther were slaves, but by hard work and dedication, Esther became queen and her uncle became the king's employee, while also saving the king from death. When God is bringing me through the pit, or maybe a period of pain and discomfort like Potiphar's house, or maybe even the inconvenience of prison, He has an end in view. There is nothing accidental about the way God works; if He allows it, He will use it to bring Himself glory. However, there is a part for me to play, which is to understand where I fit and just stay faithful. If action is required, do the right thing, at the right time, and in the right way. May God grant me grace to know the right action that binds timing and opportunity, so that my life can bring God glory. God's time of favour is here.