for such a time as this
“And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? (Esther 4:12-14)
Esther’s story is one of the most unique stories in all the bible because it is a story filled with many visible affirmations of God’s sovereignty in the lives of individuals and His people. At this time in history, Israel was on the verge of being destroyed. Esther was the queen and Mordecai who was her cousin requested of her to go into the king and plead for the life of the Jews. When Mordecai requested of Esther to go into the king and intercede on behalf of the Jews, she initially refused because she knew that to go into the king without being summoned could lead to her death.
“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Mordecai quickly reminded Esther of her purpose and God’s sovereignty in her life. We see this in his question to her. “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” Mordecai pointed out to Esther that God used everything that happened in her life to bring her to that moment - a point of fulfilling His purpose for her life, to deliver the Jewish nation.
Today we live in a nation that is divided racially, politically, economically, and socially. Just like God’s purpose for raising up Esther to be Israel’s deliverer, God has raised the church to intercede in the affairs of men with the message of the gospel. When the gospel is lived out as it is supposed to be, people’s hearts are changed and with changed hearts comes changes of actions.
Like Esther, my own personal life has taken paths I could never have plotted out.
Today I have to ask of myself and of the church where I now serve as interim pastor the same question that Mordecai asked Esther, “And who knows whether you (we ) have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
We are a predominantly white church led by an African American pastor in Middle-Georgia. We live in the heart of the south where racism and bigotry still remains strongly rooted. Yet in this church the gospel of Jesus Christ has transformed and is transforming the hearts of people so much so that we are being the church as God designed, a diversity of people united in Christ!
Could it be that God has raised New City East Side for a time such as this to show what people can be like when Jesus Christ is among them?
Is it possible that with all of the unrest, COVID-19, and other issues, God is giving New City East Side an opportunity to show the world that He works in the hearts of His people? Maybe, just maybe, God has raised us up and brought us together for such a time as this! I believe that at New City East Side as we adhere tightly to the gospel of Jesus Christ and obey His word by faith, the world will see in us what it desires to see in our community, love, peace, unity.
As I stated earlier, I could have never plotted out this course for myself. It is a wonderful and exciting calling that God is allowing me to be a part of. I embrace this opportunity to be a part of what God has chosen to do through this church “for such a time as this.”
But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"—1 Corinthians 2:9
If you are in Middle-Georgia and don’t have a church home, we invite you to become a part of what God is doing at New City East Side. It is amazing!