When something happens in our lives, we usually try to make some sort of sense of the chaos. If it is something great and miraculous, usually the first thought is, “I was in the right place at the right time.” If it is something that is not so great, we tend to try to find out what we did wrong and find the blame. You may also have heard the saying, “The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” But regardless of the situation, God shows up in some sort of way.

A great example of this in the Old Testament is in the book of Ester. We enter this story with a couple of different characters revealing themselves. We have Queen Ester, married to King Xeroxes. We have an “evil” advisor and pseudo-prince to the king, Haman. Finally, we have Queen Ester’s great friend and confidant, Mordecai. It was said that Haman stood at the gate of the great cities and demanded people pay “gate” tribute to him for being allowed to pass. But Mordecai refused. His position? The only people taxing him was God and the King.

Haman was furious because of his refusal to pay tribute. So he made a plan. He couldn’t kill Mordecai outright for fear of the people rebelling on him, for Mordecai was a Jew. Instead, he was just going to perform genocide against the Jews. He went to the king and told him lie after lie about the Jews, until finally presenting that they annihilate them for their transgressions. This also did not bode well for Queen Ester, because (surprise, surprise) she was a Jew! But she was petrified to act – she was afraid of what could happen and what was going to happen.

See, all of us have a specific purpose and reason for being here. At some time in our life, God will put you at the right place, at the right time to do something good. But there is a cost – getting involved can have a price. We will be exposing ourselves to attack, whether it be physical or socially, we will have people who are bitter towards our calling – and at times it will make us reluctant to get involved!

In those moments you might think, “I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time! I can’t stand up against what I’m facing.” But in those moments, we must remember what Mordecai told Queen Ester.

“If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 (NLT). For such a time as this. Those are POWERFUL words. Some of us are put here for such a time as this – we are placed in specific situations to show the glory and goodness of God. Just like Ester.

We could choose to remain silent and stand aside; maybe God will show up in a different way. Maybe he will use someone else. Maybe he has a plan B. But by ignoring God’s call and choosing not to act, we are shirking our responsibility to stand tall as God’s chosen ones. We are reflecting a totally different God – selfishness. See, being a follower of God means that we battle evil on a regular basis. We are the front lines – apart of an army of divine existence.

God brings us to those places so that we can intervene, interfere, speak up, and stand up. Esther crossed the path of a man plotting mass murder, and she risked her life to stand up for what was right. At some point in the future you will have an Esther moment. When you get there, remember that you are there “for such a time as this.”

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6:13 (NLT)