The Story Part 14: For Such a Time as This: Finding Courage in the Silence of God

``The upper story truth is that you don't have to manipulate outcomes or use their tactics just to expose the truth when you trust the one who holds the timeline in his hands. One of the things that I know that God has been able to speak in my life is that God's truth always comes out, and I have to just be patient. While the enemy stays away plotting our destruction, God stays awake even longer to ensure our deliverance. Even in the quiet chapters of your life where you you think that God was not there, God was in the background sewing a tapestry. [00:30:59] (49 seconds)  #TrustTheTimeline

Esther doesn't just wish for change. She first fasts and she prays, then she prepares, and then she finally moves even if her hands are shaking. The thing we have to ask ourselves is what is that one step, that step one that we are avoiding because we are waiting for bravery to come because bravery may not come. Sometimes you just have to take that step. [00:24:12] (33 seconds)  #TakeTheStep

But down on the down dance floor on the lower story, we have a young woman, a part of God's remnant that was first was either part of the Assyrian invasion or the Babylonian invasion, but now they are part of Persia, and she is terrified. An evil man is plotting and a nation of people is at risk. The question we have to ask is will we stay comfortable in the palace or will will we take a risk, a risk that could cost us everything for the purpose of God? [00:05:44] (41 seconds)  #RiskForPurpose

But then he gives her this charge, this challenge that I think is the most famous phrase or or verse in the whole book. It says, and who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? Your comfort is not a sign of God's blessing if it causes you to ignore their calling or even worse, the outcries of those suffering around you or around the world. [00:21:23] (37 seconds)  #ForSuchATime

I have to trust that God sent me here for some reason, and all I need to do in that is be faithful to who God asked me to be, called me to be, and who I am. The question is, will we choose the safety of the palace or the purpose of the kingdom? So this week, find one place where you have been comfortable or maybe you've just been called to speak out more, and I encourage you to pray fast, but then step up and step forward. [00:37:10] (39 seconds)  #PurposeOverSafety

But most of all, Esther is about how God uses ordinary people who are willing to trade their comfort for God's calling. We often hope for peace and quiet. I know that I do. I look forward to the weekend. I have lots of high schoolers that say, what are you gonna do this weekend? And my hope is nothing. I hope I do nothing this weekend. But I'll probably work I'll probably do something that makes property better. But sometimes we mistake comfort in life or a comfortable life or a faithful one. [00:03:20] (41 seconds)  #TradeComfortForCalling

The thing that we have to think about, and I definitely thought about as I was reading through this, was are we seeking a seat at a table that requires that we bow to something other than God? Because this type of evil raising up through the ranks can be everywhere, anywhere. As I have all these seniors that are preparing for life and adulthood, I often have to tell them, no one expects you to have everything figured out at this point. You're doing your next best thing. [00:17:20] (41 seconds)  #DoYourNextBestThing

I think that holy coincidence is actually one of the ways that the Holy Spirit shows up a lot of times. I know it's one of the ways that the Holy Spirit has shown up for me where I know that God set something up. I just know. This is God. He did this. He knew what would get my attention specifically. I think the inference that we can see is that God is acting even though this is a book of the Bible where God's name isn't mentioned. [00:25:52] (28 seconds)  #HolyCoincidence