Thinking of Esther

When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 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 royal position for such a time as this?" --Esther 4:12-14


I've found myself thinking about Esther quite a bit the last couple weeks.

I'm nervous and also very excited because I'm beginning an internship. I'm already seeing, though, that this is more than just something I'm doing to get school credit. I can see God's hand in all of this, and I feel like I'm going to learn a lot and that He is going to do amazing things through it.

A couple months back, one of my professors told me about a need in his church. The church has been very deliberate about reaching out to the surrounding community, and as a result, there are a handful of people who are involved in the church but who are brand new to the Christian faith. They're eager to learn the essentials of the Christian faith but are unsure where to start. So, the church is beginning a discipleship program whereby they can deepen their understanding and sink some roots into the faith. And the church needed someone to lead them. I'm still so amazed that I get to be involved in something so exciting. Everybody's so eager to learn, and I'm finding myself in an exciting place.

The other day I went on a walk with my friend, Tara, and she asked me about the internship. I was able to think aloud as I answered, and I told her that in some ways, I felt like Esther. In her situation, Mordecai told her that there was a job that somebody had to do. Even though she didn't feel especially equipped or even necessarily called, she accepted the task. If she didn't do it, God would have chosen somebody else to do it, and He would have been glorified. But when God presented Esther with the opportunity, she took it, and God did amazing things through her.

I feel like Esther these days because there is a very real need at this church. Our pastor recognizes that we need to act on this amazing opportunity quickly, before it passes. To echo a phrase he said in service this past Sunday, there is this "urgency of the harvest." A number of people are showing up at the church, eager to learn and literally asking to be taught.

I'm still not quite sure why God wants to involve me in all of this, but I'm very grateful for it. I'm praying that I will be faithful in the task that He's calling me to. And even though I'm nervous about how everything is going to work, I'm praying that God will keep giving me faith, that He'll use me, and that He'll work powerfully in people's lives (mine, too!).

I'm looking forward to seeing what's ahead!